What goes in a bin
What can go in a bin
Furniture, mattresses and most renovation waste can go in a bin. Paint, propane, batteries, tires and fridges stay out and have places of their own to go, and asbestos never goes in.
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Quick answer
What can go in a bin or dumpster, and what can’t?
Furniture, mattresses, household contents, wood, drywall, cabinets, tile, carpet, roofing shingles, scrap metal, fencing and branches can go in. Paint, propane tanks, batteries and tires stay out and go to drop-offs of their own. Halton’s waste site takes household paint, batteries and tires free, and Toronto’s Drop-Off Depots take propane tanks. Fridges, freezers, air conditioners and liquids stay out too. Asbestos never goes in: Halton takes it only with approval first, and Peel’s drop-off centres not at all. Asphalt is not a material Big Bin takes, in any bin size. Clean concrete or soil goes in its own 14 yard bin, with nothing else in it. If something is unusual, call 416-458-4324 before the bin arrives.
What goes in a bin: the facts
- What can go in
- Renovation waste, furniture, mattresses, household items, roof shingles and scrap metal
- Brick
- It can go in, but it is heavy. A 14 yard bin comes with 2 tonnes of weight. A 30 yard bin comes with 3 tonnes. A 40 yard bin comes with 4 tonnes. More weight costs extra, and brick adds weight fast.
- Out of the bin, to a drop-off of their own
- Paint, propane tanks, batteries and tires
- Electronics
- Not on the list of what goes in a bin. Halton’s waste site takes them free
- Fridges, freezers, air conditioners
- Never in a bin
- Big Bin does not take
- Asphalt, in any bin size. Contaminated soil. Anything but broken concrete in a bin booked for concrete.
What can go in a bin: the full list
Most of what comes out of a renovation or a clear-out can go in a bin.
Plaster and tile are heavier than they look, so a bin of them can reach the weight it includes before it is full. To see what changes the price, read Bin and dumpster rental cost.
Concrete and soil are priced differently. Broken concrete, or soil with nothing else in it, goes in a 14 yard bin by itself for one flat price. If anything else is mixed in, the bin is not taken away. So a patio or a garden dig needs its own bin, separate from the renovation.
| Group | What goes in |
|---|---|
| Demolition and framing | Wood, offcuts, studs, trim, subfloor, plaster, drywall, insulation, roofing shingles. |
| Cabinets, doors, windows and floors | Cabinets, countertops, doors, windows, laminate, hardwood, tile, carpet and underpad. |
| Clear-out | Furniture, mattresses, boxes, packaging, household contents, scrap metal. |
| Outdoors | Fencing, decking, sod, branches and brick from a landscaping job. |
| Brick, with other waste | Brick goes in with other household and renovation waste, but it is heavy for its size: the price includes 2 to 4 tonnes of weight, by bin size, and each tonne over that costs extra. Brick uses up that weight fast. |
What can’t go in a dumpster in Ontario?
Paint, propane tanks, batteries and tires stay out of a bin and go to drop-offs of their own. Liquids, medical waste, hot ashes, and fridges, freezers and air conditioners stay out too, and so do ammunition, explosives, flares and PCBs.
Household hazardous waste has free drop-offs of its own. Halton’s depot takes up to 20 litres a household a day, from households only. Toronto’s Drop-Off Depots take paint, batteries, household cleaners and pesticides free, and the City will pick up 10 to 50 litres from your home.
Asbestos never goes in. Peel’s drop-off centres do not accept it, and Toronto’s drop-off sites list it among what they will not take. Electronics are not on the list of what goes in a bin either, and Halton’s waste site takes them free.
Big Bin itself takes no asphalt in any bin, no contaminated soil, and nothing but broken concrete in a bin booked for concrete. To see why concrete and soil get a bin of their own, read Concrete disposal.
| Item | Where it goes | Published by |
|---|---|---|
| Paint and stains | Household hazardous waste: Halton Region says not to put it in the garbage, and its waste site takes household paint free, at its hazardous-waste depot. | Regional Municipality of Halton |
| Propane tanks | Household hazardous waste: the City of Toronto takes propane tanks at its Drop-Off Depots, free. | City of Toronto |
| Batteries | Also household hazardous waste. Halton’s waste site takes batteries free from households, at its hazardous-waste depot. | Regional Municipality of Halton |
| Asbestos | The Halton site takes it only with approval first, and at its own rate. | Regional Municipality of Halton |
Mattress disposal: can a mattress go in a bin?
Yes, mattresses, furniture and household items can all go in a bin.
The bin stays for 7 days, so you can clear a house room by room, at your own pace.
Tire disposal: where to take old tires in Ontario
Not into a bin. Old tires go to a drop-off of their own.
Halton takes them free at its waste site, with or without rims, up to ten a day. Toronto’s drop-off sites are turning them away until further notice, and Peel’s online sorting tool lists tires among the things its drop-off centres do not accept.
Wherever you live, a tire collection site is another place to take them. Ontario’s rules for those sites say each one must take tires that are still on their rims. One at a store that sells new tires must take up to ten a day from anyone, if they are about the same rim size and weight as the ones it sells.
What our customers say
From our Google Business Profile, read on 2026-09-16
I would like to shout out these guys! Finding a waste disposal company that handles heavy materials like concrete without a bunch of hidden fees or headaches is usually very difficult but Big Bin made the process very easy. Pricing was great and the team was very professional. I would genuinely recommend them for any big project!
Ayman Khaled On time, quick and easy to communicate with, and great service all around
Eldin Malkic Amazing work ! Very good time that takes good care of you !
Evgeny Litvinenko
Appliance removal and disposal: where old appliances go
Through your city or region. Appliances are not on the list of what goes in a bin.
Any Peel drop-off centre takes one, and a load of only appliances is accepted free. Toronto picks up appliances at the curb with other large items, with the doors taken off. Durham picks up metal items if you book a pickup, except in Oshawa and Whitby. Halton books a metal and appliance pickup that can take two to three weeks, or takes one at its waste site for the same fee it charges for garbage. Halton’s site staff will not help you unload, so bring someone along to lift a washer or stove.
| Where you live | A washer, dryer or stove |
|---|---|
| Region of Peel | Any drop-off centre, free if you bring only appliances |
| City of Toronto | At the curb with other large items, doors taken off |
| Region of Durham | Metal pickup if you book one, except in Oshawa and Whitby |
| Halton Region | Metal and appliance pickup if you book one, or the waste site for its garbage fee |
Fridge disposal: can a fridge go in a dumpster?
No. Ontario’s rules on gases that harm the ozone layer say nobody may dismantle, recycle or landfill refrigeration equipment until a certified person has checked that the cooling gas is gone. That person also puts a tag on the unit that says so.
Peel’s drop-off centres take fridges, freezers and air conditioners. Durham’s metal pickup takes a fridge only empty and with the doors removed, and its own sites charge $20 source [10] for one that still has its cooling gas.
How do I get rid of drywall?
In a bin, when there is a lot of it: drywall and plaster can both go in. For a few sheets, the public drop-off sites take them and charge by weight.
Peel’s drop-off centres take it for a fee with other construction and renovation material, paid by debit, Visa or Mastercard, not cash. Halton’s site charges for drywall the same as for garbage, and it is open Monday to Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., for cards only. Toronto takes it at only three of its drop-off sites, a tonne at most, and will not pick it up at the curb: drywall is renovation waste it asks you not to set out. For more on Toronto’s drop-off sites, see Bin & Dumpster Rental in Toronto. For Halton’s, see Bin & Dumpster Rental in Burlington.
| Where | Drywall | What it costs |
|---|---|---|
| Region of Peel Community Recycling Centres | With construction and renovation material | $7 source [3] minimum, then 14.5 cents per kg source [3] |
| City of Toronto Drop-Off Depots | At three drop-off sites, a tonne at most | $19 source [6] for the first 100 kg, then $189.86 source [6] a tonne |
| Halton Waste Management Site | The same as garbage | $10/load source [8] up to 150 kg; above that, $221/tonne source [8] on the whole load |
Can roofing shingles go in a bin?
Yes, roof shingles can go in. Taking off an old roof is one of the jobs the 30 yard bin is sized for.
Shingles are heavy, so an old roof uses up the weight included in the price sooner than the size of the pile suggests. Work out what the roof weighs before you pick a bin.
Small amounts have a public drop-off too: Halton’s site takes shingles for its garbage fee.
When is a bin the easiest way to get rid of it?
When there is a lot to clear. City and regional pickups have limits — two items at a time in Ajax and Pickering, three every other week in Halton, and a metal pickup booked weeks ahead. A clear-out or a renovation goes past those limits on its first afternoon.
A bin turns the whole job into one delivery and one pickup. To pick a size, see the Bin size guide.
Clearing a room or a house?
Say what is going out, the bin size, your dates and your area, then leave your name and phone number. You get a price for your bin with the tax included.
How much of the included weight will your load use?
Some things weigh far more than others. A room of furniture and a room of plaster and tile can fill the same space and weigh very different amounts. Our free weight calculator turns the size of your pile into tonnes, using numbers that government agencies publish, before you book.
What goes in a bin: common questions
What is the easiest way to get rid of an old mattress?
Put it in a rented bin with the rest of the clear-out: mattresses can go in. Your city or region also picks up mattresses at the curb. Peel and Toronto take them with regular garbage, Halton asks for one to be wrapped in plastic first, and in Durham it depends on the town.
Who takes old mattresses away for free?
For mattress pick up without a bin, your city or region collects one at the curb. Peel Region picks mattresses up for free on your regular garbage day. Halton picks them up with your garbage, and Durham does on garbage day in Ajax and Pickering. Toronto takes them with its curbside pickup of large items, and dropping a mattress at a Toronto drop-off site is charged by weight.
Will a tire shop take my old tires?
Some must. A shop that sells new tires and runs a collection site has to take up to ten old tires a day, of a size and weight like the ones it sells. Not every shop runs one, so ask the shop first.
How do I get rid of a small appliance?
Take it to a city or regional drop-off, not the garbage. Peel’s drop-off centres take small appliances such as blenders and toaster ovens. Toronto’s drop-off sites take small appliances as metal, and charge only once a load reaches 20 kilograms. In most of Durham, microwaves go with the metal pickup, which you book ahead. Take the batteries out first: Toronto wants them dropped off on their own, as household hazardous waste.
Can paint go in a dumpster?
No. Leftover paint, solvents and household cleaners are household hazardous waste, and they stay out of a bin and go to a drop-off of their own. Halton says plainly not to put hazardous waste in the garbage, and its waste site takes up to 20 litres a household a day, free. Toronto takes them free at its Drop-Off Depots, and will pick up between 10 and 50 litres from your home.
Can electronics go in a dumpster?
They are not on the list of what goes in a bin, and Halton’s waste site takes them free of charge.
Can I put a couch in a dumpster?
Yes. Couches and other furniture can go in a bin of household and renovation waste, along with mattresses and the rest of a room’s contents.
Can branches go in a bin?
Yes. Branches go in a bin of household and renovation waste, with fencing, decking and sod from the same yard job.
What if something not allowed ends up in the bin?
It can cost extra. Some items cost more to get rid of, and the dump turns some away altogether.
Sources
Source 1
Region of Peel — no publication date printed; retrieved 2026-09-28
Source 2
Acceptable Community Recycling Centre items
Region of Peel — no publication date printed; retrieved 2026-09-28
Source 3
Community Recycling Centres: disposal fees
Region of Peel — no publication date printed; retrieved 2026-10-08
Source 4
Region of Peel — no publication date printed; retrieved 2026-09-28
Source 5
City of Toronto — modified 17 September 2026
Source 6
City of Toronto — modified 1 October 2026
Source 7
Items Accepted at Drop-Off Depots
City of Toronto — modified 21 September 2026
Source 8
Halton Waste Management Site: hours, location, fees and accepted materials
Regional Municipality of Halton — no publication date printed; retrieved 2026-10-08
Source 9
Curbside Collection and Waste Sorting Guide
Regional Municipality of Halton — no publication date printed; retrieved 2026-09-28
Source 10
Waste Management Facilities: hours, locations, site fees and accepted materials
Regional Municipality of Durham — no publication date printed; retrieved 2026-10-21
Source 11
Furniture and Large Item Collection
Regional Municipality of Durham — no publication date printed; retrieved 2026-09-28
Source 12
Regional Municipality of Durham — no publication date printed; retrieved 2026-09-28
Source 13
Excess Garbage, Recycling & Organics
City of Toronto — modified 8 January 2026
Source 14
O. Reg. 463/10: Ozone Depleting Substances and Other Halocarbons
Government of Ontario — consolidated from 30 August 2024
Source 15
Government of Ontario — consolidated from 21 September 2026
Reviewed October 2026Kenan Sljoka
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Not sure about an item?
If something is unusual, call 416-458-4324 before the bin arrives.