How to Find Your County Dump (and Who Actually Runs It)
Your county dump is listed on your county government’s solid waste page, usually under a department called Solid Waste, Public Works, Environmental Services or Sanitation. Search for “[county name] solid waste” and look for a facilities page; it will name the landfill, transfer station or convenience centers, with hours, accepted items and fees. If the county does not operate any site, the same page typically says which private facility or regional authority residents should use. That is the fastest route and the one with the most reliable hours.
When the county page is missing or out of date, every state environmental agency keeps a list of permitted solid waste facilities, because federal law (RCRA Subtitle D) makes states the regulators of landfills. Texas publishes a weekly spreadsheet of active landfills and processing facilities; California’s SWIS database lets you filter sites by county and status. The EPA keeps a directory of every state agency. This guide explains how counties organize disposal, where each kind of list lives, and what to verify before driving.
Who runs the dump in a US county?
Solid waste in the US is a local responsibility layered under state permits. The common arrangements:
| Arrangement | What you will find | Where it is common |
|---|---|---|
| County-owned landfill | One scale-house landfill, often with a public lane and a per-ton fee | Rural and suburban counties across the South, Midwest and West |
| County transfer station(s) feeding a regional landfill | Drop-off at the station; the landfill may be 50 to 100 miles away and closed to the public | Metro counties that closed their landfill; Northeast and Pacific Northwest |
| County convenience centers | Several small staffed sites, free to residents with a decal | Southeast (NC, VA, TN, GA) |
| Regional solid waste authority or district | A multi-county body owns the sites; the county page links to it | Parts of the Northeast, Ohio, Michigan, Washington |
| City-run system | Cities handle collection and may run their own drop-off; county sites exclude city residents | Larger cities everywhere |
| Private only | No public site; residents use a private transfer station or hauler | Some metro areas, some sparsely populated counties |
The EPA’s transfer station manual describes why the second pattern grew: Subtitle D standards raised the cost of running a landfill, and many communities closed theirs and now consolidate waste for shipment to large regional facilities. If your county’s page shows only a “transfer station,” that is why.
Where is the list on the county website?
Start at the county home page and look for one of these department names: Solid Waste, Solid Waste Management, Public Works, Environmental Services, Sanitation, Recycling and Trash, or Landfill. Within it, look for a page titled Facilities, Convenience Centers, Landfill, Transfer Station, Drop-Off Sites or Disposal. County pages normally carry:
- Address and a map pin for each site
- Hours by day, with holiday closures
- Who may use it (residents only, decal required, county-origin waste only)
- Accepted and refused items
- Fee schedule, or a link to one
If the county page only lists a phone number, call it; solid waste offices answer basic hours and fee questions quickly. If the county has no solid waste department at all, search the county page for “trash” or “garbage,” which often lands on a public works FAQ pointing to the facility residents use.
Where are the state lists of permitted facilities?
Each state environmental agency permits landfills and transfer stations and publishes the permit list. Two examples with public search tools:
- Texas (TCEQ). The “Data on Municipal Solid Waste Facilities in Texas” page has a map viewer of active landfills, PDF lists (GI-611 for active landfills), and spreadsheets refreshed every Friday that cover active, inactive and closed landfills and processing facilities, with name, type, permit number and location.
- California (CalRecycle). The SWIS Facility/Site Search filters sites by county, operational status (active, closed, inactive) and regulatory status, and each record shows location, owner, operator, activity type and authorized waste types.
Other states publish similar lists under names like “permitted solid waste facility list,” “active landfills,” or “solid waste facility directory.” To find your state’s agency, the EPA maintains an alphabetical directory of state environmental agencies with links to their solid and hazardous waste pages. State lists are authoritative on what exists and who holds the permit; they usually do not carry hours or public fees, so use them to find the site and the county or operator page to confirm access.
Is there a national list?
Not a complete one. The EPA’s LMOP Landfill and Landfill Gas Energy Database covers more than 2,600 US municipal solid waste landfills with location, operational status and design capacity, but it exists to track landfill gas projects, excludes many smaller landfills and all transfer stations, and does not say whether a site accepts public drop-offs. It is useful for confirming a landfill’s name, owner and whether it is open or closed. Dump Nearby combines state permit lists and county pages so that each listed facility carries type, access rules and published fees in one place; browse by state from the state list or search from the home page.
What should you check before you go?
- Facility type. A convenience center, transfer station and landfill accept different loads; the landfill vs transfer station vs convenience center guide explains the differences.
- Residency. County sites usually require proof; see do you have to be a resident to use the county dump.
- Hours and holidays. County sites close on major holidays and often shut early on Saturday; Broome County, NY, for example, closes at 11:45 a.m. on Saturdays and is closed Sundays.
- Accepted items. Paint, batteries, tires and refrigerant appliances are refused or surcharged almost everywhere; check what you can and cannot take to the dump.
- Fees and payment. Per-ton with a minimum at scale sites; some scale houses take cash or check only. See how landfill fees work.
- Load cover. Tarp it; uncovered-load fees are common.
What if the closest dump is in the next county?
Distance does not confer access. A county landfill 10 miles away across the line may refuse your load because it was not generated in that county, while your own county’s transfer station 25 miles away takes it. If the near site is privately owned, it will usually take anyone at the posted rate. Check ownership on the state permit list (public facilities are listed under the county or an authority; private ones under a company name) before relying on the nearer option.