Landfill Tipping Fees Continue to Rise

The Environmental Research & Education Foundation (EREF) has released new data showing that landfill tipping fees — the charges municipalities, haulers, and businesses pay to dispose of waste — continue to climb across the United States. The 2024 survey of disposal pricing found that average tipping fees have increased significantly over the prior period, with the highest fees concentrated in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Pacific Coast regions.The increases reflect multiple converging factors: landfills in high-population regions are approaching capacity; the regulatory costs of operating and eventually closing landfills are rising; and community opposition to new landfill development continues to limit the construction of replacement capacity. In some markets, tipping fees have doubled over the past decade.For municipalities and private haulers operating under long-term disposal contracts, rising tipping fees translate directly to higher budgeted waste management costs. For those with expiring contracts or operating in spot markets, the increases are hitting immediately.The EREF data also notes significant regional variation, with some rural markets still seeing relatively low fees while major metro areas face increasingly constrained disposal options. The report projects continued upward pressure on fees in capacity-constrained markets absent significant investment in alternative disposal and diversion capacity.