Searching for a refuse center near me Anne Arundel County, MD usually means one thing: a truckload of junk and nowhere to put it before the garage door closes again. The county runs one landfill and three recycling centers, all free to residents and open the same six days a week. Below is exactly where to go, what each site takes, and the two rules that turn first-timers away at the gate.
If you're clearing out more than a truckload, our Anne Arundel County dumpster rental page covers sizes and delivery windows for the whole county.
Anne Arundel County Refuse Centers: Addresses, Phone Numbers & Hours
Call ahead before a special trip. Facility hours shift on county holidays even when curbside pickup runs as normal.
| Facility | Address | Phone | Hours | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Millersville Landfill & Resource Recovery Facility | 389 Burns Crossing Road, Severn, MD 21144 | (410) 222-6108 | Mon–Sat, 8 a.m.–4 p.m. | Household trash, bulky items, commercial loads |
| Central Recycling Center (same site as the landfill) | 389 Burns Crossing Road, Severn, MD 21144 | (410) 222-6100 | Mon–Sat, 8 a.m.–4 p.m. | Appliances, electronics, batteries, tires |
| Northern Recycling Center | 100 Dover Road North, Glen Burnie, MD 21060 | (410) 222-6100 | Mon–Sat, 8 a.m.–4 p.m. | Recyclables, scrap metal |
| Southern Recycling Center | 5400 Nutwell Sudley Road, Deale, MD 20751 | (410) 222-6100 | Mon–Sat, 8 a.m.–4 p.m. | Recyclables, yard trim, textiles |
Millersville Landfill, Northern Recycling Center, Central Recycling Center, and Southern Recycling Center all operate Monday through Saturday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The Millersville site sits on more than 565 acres in Severn and is the only active municipal solid waste landfill owned by Anne Arundel County , which is why it's also the only facility that takes bulky and commercial loads.
Off-Site by 4:15 p.m.
All customers must be off site 15 minutes after closing. Staff also cap unloading time per material: a maximum of five minutes unloading time is allowed for each material. Show up at 3:55 p.m. with three different recyclables and you'll likely run out of clock before you run out of truck bed.
What You Can Drop Off for Free
Items Accepted at Every Center
Between the landfill and the three recycling centers, residents can recycle computer printers, CPUs, cables, mice, keyboards, DVD players, VCRs, and cell phones (no TVs or computer monitors), plus paper, plastic bottles and containers, metal food and beverage cans, and glass bottles and jars . Lead-acid batteries are also accepted, covering auto, motorcycle, marine, alarm systems, security lights, and motorized toy batteries .
Businesses get a narrower lane: businesses located within Anne Arundel County may ONLY bring paper, plastic, metal, and glass recyclables to the recycling center free of charge.
Tire Drop-Off Limits
Tires have their own math. On-the-road vehicle tires from a vehicle owned by the person delivering them come at no charge for four or fewer tires, but $7.00 for each tire in excess of four. Bringing more than that in one trip, or tires from someone else's vehicle, triggers a per-tire surcharge on top of disposal cost. One detail most guides skip: off-road tires are not accepted anywhere in the county system.
What's Not Accepted (And Where Hazardous Waste Actually Goes)
Rechargeable batteries, gasoline or other fuels, coals or ashes, chemicals, poisons or liquids, and oil-based paints are not accepted curbside or at any County facility. These items need a seasonal Household Hazardous Waste Drop-off Day instead of a regular trip to the landfill or a recycling center.
Rules That Trip Up First-Time Visitors
A couple of landfill rules catch people off guard, so run through this before you load the truck.
- Big vehicles get charged, not waved through.
Solid waste delivered in a rental vehicle, dump truck, flatbed truck, stake body truck, box truck, rental trailer, or double-axle trailer will not be accepted at any Recycling Center; County Code § 13-4-107 requires that solid waste delivered in those specific vehicles be charged as listed within the Fee Schedule.
- Commercial loads pay by the ton.
Solid waste delivered by a commercial business costs $100.00 per ton, and large or unusually difficult items such as house trailers, boats over 20 feet, stumps, and concrete run $200.00 per ton.
- Residency is checked.
The Millersville Facility accepts commercial and residential waste from Anne Arundel County businesses and residents only. Keep children and pets in the vehicle, and leave the bins alone; sorting through someone else's discarded material means sharp metal and broken glass, and staff are equipped to sort it safely.
County Rules vs. City of Annapolis Rules
If the City of Annapolis bills you for refuse service, you follow the City's program, not the County's. Everyone else in the county follows the rules above. Knowing which one applies determines your pickup days, item limits, and who you call when something doesn't get picked up.
Inside Annapolis City Limits
The City of Annapolis collects up to three bulk items at the curb on each refuse Collection Day for City residential refuse customers, and bulk item pickup is available without request. Metal is the exception. For bulk metal items, schedule a metal bulk pickup or call 410-263-7949; items need to be set out by 6:00 a.m. the scheduled day of collection but not before 6:00 p.m. the day before. Set out too early and you risk a complaint; too late and the truck's already gone.
Already Have Curbside Pickup? Here's What It Covers
Most county homes already get curbside trash, recycling, and yard waste pickup, and it includes more than a weekly can at the curb. The annual charge funds weekly collection of trash, including up to 3 bulky items; weekly collection of paper, plastic, metal and glass for recycling; weekly collection of yard waste for recycling; and collection of large metal items by appointment.
The County issues a service charge for each property supplied with County curbside collection in the amount of $469 annually for which trash, recycling, and landfill access are provided. Large metal items don't go out with the regular trash; call (410) 222-6100, Monday through Friday, between 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. to schedule large metal item collection , or skip the wait and drive small metal pieces to a recycling center yourself.
Donate Before You Dump
Before hauling something to the landfill, see if it still has a second life. Local Habitat for Humanity ReStore and Goodwill locations take usable furniture, appliances, and building materials, and Buy Nothing or Freecycle groups are a free way to pass items along locally. The EPA promotes a waste management hierarchy that ranks strategies from most to least environmentally preferred, prioritizing source reduction and reuse over recycling , which is the formal version of "donate it before you dump it."
DIY Drop-Off vs. Hiring It Out
A self-haul run needs a truck, your Anne Arundel County address, free time inside those Monday–Saturday hours, and the muscle to load and unload everything yourself. Our crews haul from homes across the county every week, and we still send a truck to Millersville or one of the three recycling centers whenever a job turns up clean scrap metal or cardboard worth dropping for free instead of billing a client for it.
If a cleanout is bigger than a few truckloads, a residential dumpster rental skips the repeat trips entirely. For job sites and renovation debris, a commercial dumpster rental handles the volume a landfill run can't. Browse our full waste management services to compare options, or see how we've sized similar projects in our project gallery.
Just across the county line? Our Howard County dumpster rental guide breaks down sizes, pricing, and permit rules for that area.
Not sure which route fits your load? Get a free estimate and we'll help you decide before you rent a truck or book a drop-off.
This guide was checked against current Anne Arundel County Department of Public Works rules by Cathy Reyes, owner of Cathy's Cans, a Maryland waste-hauling operator serving Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Howard, and Harford counties.
FAQ
Where do I take junk or trash in Anne Arundel County?
The Millersville Landfill and Resource Recovery Facility at 389 Burns Crossing Road in Severn is the main drop-off site for trash and bulky items. For recyclables, use whichever of the Northern, Central, or Southern recycling centers is closest to you.
How much does it cost to use the Anne Arundel County landfill or recycling centers?
Residential loads delivered in a personal vehicle are free. Tires are free up to four per visit, then $7 each after that. Commercial businesses pay $100 per ton, and large or unusual items like boats over 20 feet or concrete run $200 per ton.
What is the annual trash and recycling fee in Anne Arundel County?
County curbside customers pay a $469 annual service charge, which funds weekly trash, recycling, and yard waste pickup plus access to the landfill and all three recycling centers.
Do Annapolis city residents follow the same bulk trash rules as the rest of the county?
No. City of Annapolis residential refuse customers get three bulk items per collection day automatically, but metal bulk items need a separate scheduled pickup by phone or online, unlike the rest of the county.
What items are banned from the landfill and recycling centers?
Rechargeable batteries, gasoline and other fuels, coals or ashes, chemicals, poisons or liquids, and oil-based paints are not accepted at any curbside collection or county facility. These need a seasonal Household Hazardous Waste Drop-off Day instead.
Can I bring a rental truck or trailer to a recycling center?
No. Rental vehicles, dump trucks, flatbed trucks, stake body trucks, box trucks, rental trailers, and double-axle trailers aren't accepted at any recycling center and are billed under the county's fee schedule instead.
Do I need to prove I'm an Anne Arundel County resident?
Yes. The landfill and recycling centers serve county residents and businesses only, and Household Hazardous Waste Drop-off Days specifically require proof of residency, so bring ID with your current address.
