What it costs to dump in Kansas: 2026 fees by area
Most Kansas counties run their own landfill or transfer station and set their own price. A small load usually pays a $10 to $18 minimum, bigger loads run about $40 to $90 a ton, and in Reno County, residents pay nothing at the scale. Wichita is the odd one out: it has no public landfill for household trash.
2026 cost to dump in Kansas, area by area
| Area | Small load (minimum) | Bigger loads | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reno County (Hutchinson) | Free for county residents and businesses | Free; C&D $10 a ton for businesses | Card only for anything with a fee |
| Leavenworth County (Lansing) | $10 for 300 lbs or less | Up to $68 a ton | Closed Sundays and Mondays |
| Emporia (Lyon County) | $10 up to 320 lbs | $63.96 a ton | Out-of-county waste needs written approval |
| Ellis County (Hays) | $10 up to 220 lbs | $90 a ton | Unsecured loads pay 50% more |
| Salina | $12.50 under 500 lbs | $50 a ton ($100 unsecured) | Free yard waste for Saline County residents |
| Butler County (El Dorado) | $14 a car or light pickup | $40 a ton ($80 unsecured) | C&D area closed until further notice |
| Riley County (Manhattan) | $18 minimum | $72 a ton | Cards only; no cash or checks |
| Wichita | Household trash: transfer stations don't post prices | Brooks Landfill (C&D and yard waste): $47.85 a ton, $34 minimum | No public landfill for household trash |
Rates verified from each county's or city's own published pages, October 2026. Tires, appliances and mattresses cost extra almost everywhere. Confirm with the facility before a big load.
Find a landfill near you
Enter your city or ZIP for the nearest disposal sites across Kansas, then open your city's page for its exact hours, fees and what it accepts.
Why prices vary so much in Kansas
Kansas disposal is run county by county, and each county decides how to pay for it. Reno County funds its regional landfill with a set fee on residents' and businesses' property taxes, plus the tonnage fees on waste from other counties, so county residents don't pay again at the scale. Most others charge at the gate: from $40 a ton in Butler County to $90 a ton in Ellis County.
Wichita works differently. The city's Brooks Landfill is a construction and demolition landfill, and household trash goes through two privately run Waste Connections transfer stations to the Plumb Thicket Landfill in Harper County. Those stations don't post public prices, so call before you load up.
Free and nearly free options
- Reno County residents dump household trash, brush, appliances, mattresses, metal and household hazardous waste free, and clean construction loads too.
- Leavenworth County residents get one free dump a year (up to 2 tons), a free brush day on the first Tuesday and a free tire day on the second Tuesday of every month.
- Yard waste is free for residents in Salina (secured loads), Riley County, Butler County and at the Emporia transfer station.
- Salina's Free Landfill Day lets Saline County residents dump household trash free one Saturday a year; in 2026 it was April 18.
- Hazardous waste goes free to the Sedgwick County facility in Wichita for county residents.
The catches that cost people money
- Cover the load. Unsecured loads pay double in Salina and Butler County and 50% more in Ellis County; Leavenworth County adds $10, and Brooks Landfill charges $61.10 a ton instead of $47.85.
- Bring a card. Riley County and Reno County take cards only, no cash or checks. Leavenworth County adds a card fee: $1.50 on charges up to $55, then 2.65%.
- Check the day. Leavenworth County is closed Sundays and Mondays, and its Saturday line can run one to two hours. Emporia's transfer station opens Sunday afternoons.
- Don't take household trash to Brooks. Wichita's C&D landfill bills household trash found in a load at $150 a ton, with a $100 minimum.
What Kansas landfills can't take
Kansas law keeps whole tires out of landfills: K.S.A. 65-3424a bars depositing waste tires in a landfill as final disposal, except as KDHE allows, mainly once they're cut or processed. Landfills and transfer stations take tires for a fee and send them on.
Unlike most states we cover, we found no Kansas law banning car batteries from landfills, and Kansas has no electronics recycling law. Sites set their own rules: Wichita's Brooks Landfill charges $50 for a car battery and $50 for an electronic item left in a load. Appliances that still hold refrigerant cost extra nearly everywhere, from $15 more in Riley County to $50 at Brooks.
Kansas has no PaintCare program and no mattress recycling law: mattresses are $12 in Butler County and $20 at Brooks Landfill.