Dump hours — what time dumps open and close, and the holidays they shut
Most dumps are open from about 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays, the median posted hours at the 872 landfills, transfer stations and drop-off sites we've verified. 89% also open on Saturday, usually with shorter hours, and only 20% open on Sunday.
Plenty close earlier than you'd expect: the typical site opens between 7 and 9 a.m. and closes between 4 and 6 p.m., and many stop taking loads 15 to 30 minutes before the gate shuts.
Short answer
- Weekdays: most sites open by 8 or 9 a.m. and close between 4 and 6 p.m.
- Saturday: 89% of the sites we've verified are open, often with shorter hours.
- Sunday: only 20% — see our list of dumps open on Sunday.
- The real deadline is earlier than closing. Many sites stop taking loads 15 to 30 minutes before the gate shuts.
- Holidays: Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year's Day are the most common closures.
Check today's hours near you
Enter your city or ZIP. Each city page shows every site's posted hours, with today's hours called out on the card.
What time does the dump open and close?
From the posted weekday hours of 860 sites in our directory:
| Weekday opening | Share of sites |
|---|---|
| Before 7 a.m. | 9% |
| 7 to 7:59 a.m. | 44% |
| 8 to 8:59 a.m. | 33% |
| 9 a.m. or later | 14% |
| Weekday closing | Share of sites |
|---|---|
| Before 4 p.m. | 23% |
| 4 to 4:59 p.m. | 36% |
| 5 to 5:59 p.m. | 26% |
| 6 p.m. or later | 15% |
That's a national picture, not your dump's schedule. Hours vary even inside one county, and small rural convenience centers often open only a few days a week. Your city page has the exact hours for each site.
The cutoff before closing time
Arriving five minutes before closing often means being turned away. Many sites set a last-load time, especially if you're unloading by hand:
- Peoria County, Illinois: last load 30 minutes before closing.
- Broome County, New York: arrive at least 30 minutes before closing and be unloaded and gone by 3 p.m.
- Las Cruces, New Mexico: last load at 4:45 p.m. on weekdays and 3:45 p.m. on weekends.
- Janesville, Wisconsin: no scaled loads in the last 15 minutes before closing.
- St. Peters, Missouri: if you unload by hand, arrive at least 30 minutes before closing.
Holiday closures
Of the city pages in our directory that list holiday closings, these are the days that come up most:
| Holiday | Pages listing a closure |
|---|---|
| Thanksgiving | 156 |
| Christmas Day | 157 |
| New Year's Day | 151 |
| Independence Day (July 4) | 120 |
| Memorial Day | 92 |
| Labor Day | 93 |
| Veterans Day | 32 |
The days around a holiday matter too. Fort Worth closes the Friday after Thanksgiving, Salina, Kansas closes at 2 p.m. on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, and Bremerton, Washington closes at 3 p.m. on Christmas Eve. Some sites stay open on minor holidays: Clovis, New Mexico is open July 4, Labor Day, Columbus Day and Veterans Day.
Weather closes sites too. Iowa City's landfill may close early on windy days, and Saco, Maine closes during snowstorms. Call ahead if the weather is bad.
Is the dump open today?
Every city page in our directory shows each site's posted hours, and the card for each site calls out today's hours in that site's own time zone. We don't show a live “open now” badge on purpose: holiday, weather and emergency closures don't always reach a posted schedule, so a quick call is still the only guarantee.