Landfill Data

About the landfill data

Where the U.S. Landfill Database comes from, how our team checks it, and how agencies, newsrooms and researchers can cite and reuse it.

By Dumpster Controls Data Desk Updated October 1, 2026 3 min read

The Dumpster Controls Landfill Finder is a free database of 1,750 active landfills and transfer stations. We compiled the base from public registries, our team checks rates against official sources one facility at a time, and the haulers who use these sites every day report corrections. The data is open under CC BY 4.0.

1,750
active facilities in the database Counted October 1, 2026

674
checked against an official source County, city or operator

710
with a published rate recorded 638 per ton, 72 per cubic yard

$55
median verified rate per ton 638 facilities, as of September 28, 2026

Where the data comes from

The base directory was compiled from public sources: state environmental agency registries, county and municipal facility listings, and public mapping data.

On top of that base sit two kinds of work. Our team checks facilities against the county's, the city's or the operator's own published sources and records the source with the rate. And verified members of Dumpster Controls, waste hauling companies that visit these facilities every day, contribute corrections, fee reports and reviews.

Dumpster Controls Data Desk, landfill database · Checked October 1, 2026
What the database holds

The gap between 1,750 facilities and 710 recorded rates is the honest part. Most facilities post hours and rules but no price, which is worth knowing before a driver makes the trip. The verified set now covers every state, and each rate shows the source and the date it was read.

Closed and duplicate landfills

Counted October 1, 2026. Landfills confirmed closed by official state or county records, and duplicate records, are removed from the count. In September 2026 we checked every state's official landfill records, removed 1,008 closed landfills (each confirmed by an official record) and merged 158 duplicate records. The page of a removed landfill redirects to the facility that replaced it, to its city or to its state, so old links keep working.

How it stays accurate

Fee reports and edit suggestions come only from signed-in accounts, and every landfill page invites them. Our team reviews each suggestion before it changes public data. Prices reported by the community carry their source and date, so a reader always knows how fresh a number is. Anyone who finds an error can use the "Suggest an edit" link on the facility's page.

Methodology

Sources. Public registries and facility listings for the base; official county, city or operator sources for verified rates; reviewed reports from verified hauling companies for corrections.

Updates. Reports are reviewed continuously. The facility count (1,750, counted on October 1, 2026) and the verified figures (as of September 28, 2026) are rebuilt every month.

Limits. These are published rates, not quotes. A facility can change its fee, hours or accepted waste without notice. Confirm with the facility before hauling.

How to use this data

Haulers

Find the gate, then price the load

Search the Landfill Finder for facilities near the job, then compare with the tipping fees by state.

Journalists and researchers

Use the counts with their dates

Quote the facility count and the verified figures with the date shown, and say which figures are verified. The market data page carries the same landfill figures.

Counties and public works

Embed or link it in public tools

The license allows reuse in government maps and publications. Link with the snippet below or write to us for a state extract.

Facility operators

Report a price update

Use "Suggest an edit" on your facility's page (it takes a free account), or send the current rate sheet to the address below.

Cite or link this data

The landfill data is openly licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0): public agencies, journalists, researchers, mapmakers and websites may copy and reuse it, including in government tools and publications. All we ask is attribution with a link to Dumpster Controls.

Cite this data

Dumpster Controls Data Desk. (2026). U.S. landfill database. https://dumpstercontrols.io/landfills

Licensed CC BY 4.0.

<a href="https://dumpstercontrols.io/landfills">U.S. Landfill Finder: free landfill database by Dumpster Controls</a>

Frequently asked questions

Where does the landfill data come from?

The base directory was compiled from public sources: state environmental agency registries, county and municipal facility listings and public mapping data. On top of it, our team checks facilities against official county, city or operator sources, and verified waste hauling companies report corrections, fees and reviews. The database lists 1,750 active landfills and transfer stations, counted on October 1, 2026.

How often is the landfill database updated?

Continuously. Hauler reports and edit suggestions arrive every day and are reviewed by our team before they change public data. The facility count and the verified rate figures are rebuilt every month.

Can a government agency, newsroom or researcher reuse the data?

Yes. The landfill data is published under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0: anyone may copy, adapt and republish it, including in government tools and news stories, with credit to the Dumpster Controls Data Desk and a link. For an extract or a question, write to info@dumpstercontrols.io.

How do I report a wrong fee or a closed facility?

Open the facility in the Landfill Finder and use "Suggest an edit", which takes a free account, or send the correction with its source to info@dumpstercontrols.io. Our team reviews every change before it goes live.

Media and research inquiries

Reporters, researchers, counties and state agencies can write to info@dumpstercontrols.io with questions about the data, a request for a state extract or a correction. Our compilation is published under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0: you may copy, adapt and republish it, including in public reports and news stories, as long as you credit the Dumpster Controls Data Desk and link to the page you used.

Who builds this

Dumpster Controls is free software for dumpster rental and junk removal companies: dispatch, driver app, invoicing and landfill routing. The Landfill Finder is our contribution to the whole waste community, and it gets better every time a hauler reports a fee or reviews a facility.