Guides
What Landfill Tipping Fees Cost Across US States in 2025
Landfill tipping fees by state run from about $30 to over $110 per ton in 2025. Here is what each disposal line item costs and what moves the number.
What to take away
- Landfill tipping fees across US states in 2025 run from about $28 per ton in Mississippi to more than $120 per ton in Connecticut and Vermont for municipal solid waste.
- National average MSW tipping fees sit roughly in the $55 to $65 per ton range.
- The gate rate is only part of the invoice. Fuel surcharge, minimum tonnage, environmental fees and scale house rules decide the rest.
- Rural landfills are cheaper per ton and more expensive per mile. Run both numbers before you quote.
- Disposal is the largest single variable in a dumpster job. On a 10 ton load, a $40 per ton swing is $400 off your margin.
Why the posted gate rate is not your disposal cost
The posted tipping fee is the price per ton at the scale house. It is not your disposal cost. A landfill 45 minutes out charges you diesel both ways, driver hours, and often a minimum load charge that applies whether the truck is full or half empty.
The figures in this article are 2025 survey data, the most recent full year available at publication in 2026.
The EPA's 2024 overview of municipal solid waste landfills explains how these facilities are permitted and operated. That helps when you compare a regional Subtitle D landfill against a transfer station that adds its own handling fee on top.
The gate rate varies by region, by landfill ownership, and by the mix of waste the facility accepts. Transfer stations add their own handling fee, often $15 to $40 per ton, separate from the gate rate. Construction and demolition debris usually prices lower, sometimes $25 to $70 per ton, because it is heavier and more inert.
Line by line on a disposal invoice
The table below shows illustrative per ton figures for a mid-size metro job. Treat the numbers as planning ranges, not quotes.
Disposal Invoice Cost Lines
- MSW tipping fee$38-$112 per ton
- C&D tipping fee$25-$70 per ton
- Fuel surcharge$8-$35 per load
- Environmental and host fees$1-$9 per ton
- Minimum load charge$45-$150
- Transfer station handling$15-$40 per ton
- Overage billed$95-$175 per ton
| Cost line | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| MSW tipping fee per ton | $38 | $112 |
| C&D tipping fee per ton | $25 | $70 |
| Fuel surcharge per load | $8 | $35 |
| Environmental and host fees per ton | $1 | $9 |
| Minimum load charge | $45 | $150 |
| Transfer station handling per ton | $15 | $40 |
| Overage billed to customer per ton | $95 | $175 |
Three drivers move that table more than anything else.
- Density of the load.A 20 yard box of shingles can weigh more than a 30 yard box of furniture. Heavy material pushes you into higher tonnage brackets and sometimes into a different landfill class.
- Distance to the gate.Every extra 20 miles round trip adds fuel and driver time. Fuel prices move weekly, and the EIA diesel price series is the reference most dispatchers check before re-pricing routes.
- Local landfill capacity.Markets with one remaining landfill and no rail access price higher. Markets with several competing facilities and a transfer network price lower.
State-by-state landfill tipping fees in 2025
State averages hide the spread inside the state. A single number for Texas or California is close to useless for dispatch, because the difference between two landfills 60 miles apart can exceed the difference between two states.
The table below gives typical 2025 MSW gate rates by state. The bands come from state environmental agency gate rate surveys published in 2024 and 2025, and the Environmental Research & Education Foundation (EREF) regional tipping fee data for 2025.
Local quotes can fall outside them. The table is a representative sample of 18 states, chosen to cover the main regional markets.
| State | Typical 2025 MSW gate rate | What moves it |
|---|---|---|
| Connecticut | $110 to $130 per ton | Almost no in-state MSW landfill capacity; rail and truck haul to Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia adds freight. |
| Vermont | $100 to $140 per ton | Act 148 landfill bans and limited sites; transfer stations add handling. |
| Massachusetts | $95 to $130 per ton | Landfill moratorium and waste bans push MSW to transfer stations and out-of-state rail. |
| New York | $70 to $115 per ton | Downstate transfer stations and long hauls to upstate or Pennsylvania landfills; upstate rates lower. |
| New Jersey | $80 to $115 per ton | Dense population, limited landfill space and NJDEP recycling rules. |
| Rhode Island | $95 to $125 per ton | Few in-state disposal sites; most waste moves by rail or truck. |
| Pennsylvania | $65 to $95 per ton | Large landfill capacity in the west and south-central; Philadelphia metro rates higher. |
| Ohio | $45 to $70 per ton | Many regional landfills and rail-served sites; accepts out-of-state waste. |
| Florida | $45 to $75 per ton | County-owned landfills and waste-to-energy plants; south Florida rates higher. |
| Texas | $35 to $55 per ton | Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston have many competing landfills; rural West Texas rates lower. |
| Georgia | $35 to $55 per ton | Private regional landfills along I-20 and I-75; Atlanta metro rates higher. |
| Alabama | $30 to $50 per ton | Low population density and ample capacity; rail access limited. |
| Mississippi | $28 to $45 per ton | Lowest typical band in the country; few transfer stations. |
| California | $60 to $120 per ton | CalRecycle county surveys; Los Angeles and Bay Area high, Central Valley lower. |
| Washington | $75 to $110 per ton | King County and Puget Sound disposal costs; eastern Washington lower. |
| Colorado | $45 to $70 per ton | Front Range landfills; mountain haul adds freight. |
| Arizona | $40 to $65 per ton | Phoenix metro has several large landfills; rural hauls longer. |
| Utah | $35 to $55 per ton | Wasatch Front capacity; remote sites add distance. |
Sources: state environmental agency gate rate surveys (2024 and 2025) and EREF regional tipping fee data (2025).
The EIA regional waste disposal cost data is a reasonable starting point for regional comparison, and state environmental agencies publish their own gate rate surveys. Use those two sources together, then call the three landfills your trucks actually use and ask for the current rate sheet.
A posted rate is a starting point for a phone call, not an input for a quote.
What quotes leave out
Most residential quotes bundle a tonnage allowance, often 1 to 2 tons, and bill overage separately. The overage rate is where the money is, and it is rarely printed on the website.
A typical tonnage clause reads: "Includes 2 tons. Overage billed at $125 per ton." The landfill weight ticket is the only proof that matters. Overage rates in the invoice table above run $95 to $175 per ton.
If a customer disputes an overage charge, the paperwork decides the outcome. The Cornell summary of breach of contract is worth reading before you write tonnage language, because a weight dispute is a contract dispute, not a customer service problem.
The dumpster rental contract terms that prevent overage and damage disputes covers the specific clauses that hold up when a customer refuses to pay a tonnage bill.
Three habits that raise disposal spend
Overpaying on disposal usually comes from three habits.
- Quoting from a state average instead of the two landfills you actually use
- Ignoring minimum load charges on short hauls
- Letting heavy loads ride in oversized boxes
A fourth habit costs more than all three: not tracking cost per load by route. Job costing methods that separate direct disposal, fuel and labor are the standard fix, and the plain explanation of job costing shows how to structure it without new software.
The dumpster rental quote template with pricing examples shows how to present a tonnage allowance so the customer sees the number before the invoice arrives.
Example: two landfills, one zip code
A dispatcher in a mid-size Southern metro has two options. Landfill A is 18 miles out and charges $46 per ton with no minimum. Landfill B is 34 miles out and charges $34 per ton with a $60 minimum load charge.
Two Landfills, One Zip Code
Landfill A
- Distance
- 18 miles out
- Gate rate
- $46 per ton
- Minimum
- None
- 3 ton load
- $138 plus fuel
- 1 ton load
- Cheaper choice
Landfill B
- Distance
- 34 miles out
- Gate rate
- $34 per ton
- Minimum
- $60 per load
- 3 ton load
- $102 plus $25 diesel
- 1 ton load
- Minimum makes it costlier
On a 3 ton load, Landfill A costs $138 plus fuel, while Landfill B costs $102 plus roughly $25 more in diesel. Add 40 extra minutes of driver time, and the cheaper gate rate wins by a small margin.
On 1 ton, Landfill B's minimum makes it the pricier choice. The landfill tipping fees across 8 US metros maps this tradeoff across larger markets.
Common questions
What is the average landfill tipping fee in the US in 2025?
The national average is a rough guide for planning, but it is not a number for dispatch because regional spreads are so wide. State environmental agencies publish their own surveys, and those are more useful for dispatch than any single national figure. The state table above shows Connecticut at $110 to $130 and Mississippi at $28 to $45.
Why is my disposal cost higher than the posted tipping fee?
Fuel surcharges, environmental fees, minimum load charges and transfer station handling all sit on top of the gate rate. A posted $45 per ton can become $70 per ton delivered.
Do C&D landfills charge less than MSW landfills?
Usually yes, often $25 to $70 per ton, because the material is heavier and more inert. The catch is that C&D facilities accept a narrower list of materials, so a mixed load may be rejected at the gate.
How should I bill overage to a customer?
Set the overage rate at roughly two to three times your own disposal cost per ton and state it in the contract before pickup. The EPA and state rules for dumpster rental disposal covers the recordkeeping you need if a charge is challenged.
