What it costs to dump in Georgia: 2026 landfill fees by city
This is the Georgia breakdown. For the national picture — how gate rates, minimum charges and by-vehicle pricing compare across every state we cover — see how much it costs to dump at a landfill.
Most people expect to drive a load to a landfill and pay at the scale. In metro Georgia, several of the biggest jurisdictions don't have a gate at all. The City of Atlanta, Fulton County and Gwinnett County run no public landfill. What they give you instead is collection: someone comes to your curb. So the money question here isn't “what's the tipping fee?” It's “which jurisdiction am I in, and what does it already include?” We checked every rate against the county or city's own pages.
2026 cost to dump in Georgia, city by city
| Where you are | Residents pay | Standard rate | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marietta — Cobb County | $14 for the first 400 lbs | 3¢/lb above that ($60/ton); non-residents $70 minimum | A Georgia driver's license is the only accepted proof of residency |
| Atlanta — city residents | 12 bulk pickups a year at no extra charge | No city landfill; $343.10 per extra pickup | Single-family only; no contractor or rental-property waste |
| DeKalb County — Seminole Road | $100/ton household, $99.80 C&D; under a ton $16.50–$83.53 by weight | Transfer stations $105/ton (no C&D) | Open Saturday until 4 p.m. |
| Fulton County | Set by your city, not the county | No county drop-off facility | Roswell's transfer station takes non-residents' household items at $3 a bag |
| Lawrenceville — Gwinnett County | 2 free bulky items a week (City of Lawrenceville or your county hauler) | No county dump; county service $24.14/month | Construction debris isn't covered by either system |
| Augusta — Richmond County | Weekly curbside bulk (up to 10 cu yd, appliances included); 3 bags or fewer free at the landfill | $40.30/ton household, $32.70/ton C&D | Saturday hours are 7 to 11 a.m. only |
| Savannah — Chatham County | City residents: Dean Forest Road & Bacon Park; unincorporated: 3 County drop-offs at no extra charge | City landfill open to unincorporated residents only as paid annual subscribers | County drop-offs take no household garbage or tires; curbside bulk has a five-minute rule |
| Athens — Clarke County | $75/ton, $20 minimum; punch card 6 bags for $18 | Mattresses $50 each | No construction debris; Clarke and Oglethorpe counties only |
| Macon — Bibb County | Free at 3 convenience centers | No landfill; it closed | Needs a license with a Bibb County address; concrete, paint and batteries only at 11th Street |
| Columbus — Muscogee County | $85/ton at Pine Grove | $76.50/ton inert at Granite Bluff | No mixed loads; ID plus a water bill required |
Rates checked against each county or city's own pages and fee schedules in September 2026. Tires, appliances and construction debris are usually billed separately from household waste. Always confirm with the facility before a big load.
Find a landfill near you
Enter your ZIP or city for the nearest disposal sites, then open your city's page for its exact hours, fees and what it accepts.
In Georgia, the jurisdiction matters more than the fee
The City of Atlanta runs no landfill. Fulton County runs no public drop-off; each of its 15 cities handles its own trash. Gwinnett County has no county dump either. That's a large share of metro Atlanta with no public gate to drive to.
Georgia's answer is collection instead of disposal. The City of Atlanta gives single-family households 12 scheduled bulk collections a year. Gwinnett's county haulers and the City of Lawrenceville both take two bulky items a week. Augusta collects bulk every week on your trash day, up to 10 cubic yards, appliances included. Savannah picks up bulk items on trash day too, as long as they take the crew less than five minutes.
Where this breaks down is construction and demolition debris, which curbside programs exclude. For that you need a gate: Cobb's transfer station ($14 for 400 lbs, residents), DeKalb's Seminole Road ($100 a ton), Augusta's landfill ($32.70 a ton), or a private site. Athens sends it out of county entirely, to the Oglethorpe and Walton County C&D landfills.
The cheapest and most expensive places to dump in Georgia
Cheapest: Macon. Its three convenience centers take household garbage, furniture, tires, yard debris and building material free, with a driver's license showing a Bibb County address. Augusta is close behind for anyone who can wait for the curb: weekly bulk pickup is included in the solid waste fee, and three bags or fewer are free at the landfill.
Cheapest paid gate: Cobb County's transfer station, at $14 for the first 400 pounds and 3 cents a pound after that ($60 a ton), open Saturdays until 4 p.m. Only for residents with a Georgia driver's license.
Most expensive: DeKalb County's Seminole Road Landfill near Atlanta, at $100 a ton with a sliding minimum from $16.50 for loads up to 250 lbs for any load up to 999 lbs. Columbus charges $85 a ton and Athens $75. And a non-resident at Cobb pays a $70 minimum even for a couple of bags, five times the resident rate.
The catches that cost people money
The headline number is rarely the whole bill. These are the ones that catch people out in Georgia:
- Cobb's ID rule. A valid Georgia driver's license is the only document that moves you from the $70 column to the $14 column. Not a water bill, not a tax notice.
- DeKalb's sliding minimum. Loads under a ton at Seminole Road pay by weight band, from $16.50 up to 250 lbs to $83.53 up to 1,999 lbs; a typical 500 to 600 lb pickup load is $37.13.
- Atlanta's 13th pickup. Twelve bulk collections a year are included; each one after that is $343.10.
- Savannah's five-minute rule. Curbside bulk items that take the crew more than five minutes, or go out off schedule, are charged under the City's Revenue Ordinance.
- Savannah's subscription. Unincorporated Chatham residents can use the City landfill only as paid annual subscribers, paid in advance at the Revenue Department. No payments are taken at the gate.
- Athens' C&D ban and $50 mattresses. The Athens landfill takes no construction debris at all, and a mattress costs $50.
- Columbus' no-mixed-loads rule. Pine Grove requires one type of material per load and won't let you sort on site.
- Marietta's $100 yard-waste fee. City of Marietta curbside charges $100 a load once yard waste passes about 200 cubic feet or 48 bags.
Some things can't go in the load at any price
Whole scrap tires have been banned from Georgia landfills since December 31, 1994, according to Georgia EPD. That's why every site above charges for tires separately or sends them elsewhere, and why several counties hold free tire amnesty events. Our tire disposal guide covers where they go.
Beyond that, each landfill sets its own refusals: Athens takes no construction debris, Columbus takes no paint or batteries, and Chatham County's drop-offs take no household garbage or tires. Check your city page before you load.