Getting rid of an old tub, toilet and remodel debris in Central Ohio
Taking out a bathroom leaves an old toilet, a tub or shower and a pile of tile, drywall and lumber, and Central Ohio's towns do not treat them alike. This page sets out, from each town's own trash page as read in September 2026, whether bulk pickup takes an old toilet or tub, whether remodel debris is collected at all, and where construction and demolition debris goes instead.
Last updated September 2026 · Rules are each town's own, or its contracted hauler's as the town publishes them, and SWACO's, each read September 25, 2026 · No prices on this page; the Estimate Builder carries those · Part of the knowledge base
Two different rules: bulk items and construction debris
Throwing out a bathroom runs into two separate rules in most Central Ohio towns. One is bulk collection, for large household items; the other is construction and demolition debris, which the towns' own rulebooks mostly mean as concrete, brick, drywall, lumber, shingles and the like. Whether an old toilet or tub counts as a bulk item or as construction debris is stated by name on only a few official pages, and they disagree: Westerville takes bathtubs and toilets at the curb; Upper Arlington excludes them by name, and Columbus's drop-off centers refuse toilets by name while its bulk pickup refuses building materials. Where a town's page does not name the fixtures, the table says not named rather than guessing.
| Town | Does bulk pickup take a toilet or tub? | Is construction debris collected? | Where else the page points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbus | Not named on the bulk page, which is by appointment and excludes excavating and building materials; the city's waste and reuse convenience centers list toilets and plumbing fixtures as not accepted | No | A private hauler, in the city's own words; in Franklin County, construction debris itself goes to the Franklin County Sanitary Landfill, run by SWACO |
| Westerville | Yes: bathtubs and toilets are listed bulk items, set at the curb on the regular trash day | Small amounts from a resident's own remodel, in the trash cart or cans or tied in short bundles under 50 pounds; never a contractor's debris | A rented container, or a landfill |
| Upper Arlington | No: bath tubs and shower stalls, sinks, toilets, pipes and other plumbing materials are listed as construction debris, not accepted | No | Not stated on the bulk items page |
| Worthington | Not named | Only material from personal home remodeling projects; larger remodeling projects are not collected | A commercial waste hauler for anything larger |
| Hilliard, Gahanna and Grove City | Not named | No: construction debris is on the contracted hauler's list of uncollectible items | Not stated on the hauler's guideline pages |
| Delaware | Not named; the paid bulk program covers appliances | No: construction materials and debris are excluded from the bulk program | The Delaware County Transfer and Recycling Center, 892 U.S. 42 North |
| Lancaster | Not named | Not in the regular trash cart: building materials will not be collected; the paid bulk program does not say | Not stated |
| Marysville | Not named; the city's pages name items containing Freon and hazardous waste such as oil and paint as exclusions | Not stated on the city's pages | Not stated |
Several towns contract their trash service and publish the hauler's guidelines as their own; Hilliard, Gahanna and Grove City are served by Local Waste Services, and its published guidelines for each city are the rules in the table. Bulk programs that do not list exclusions item by item are not an invitation to put out a whole remodel: Delaware says its bulk collection is not meant for clearing out a whole household, and its program is paid and registered in advance.
Where construction debris goes
In Franklin County, the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio says construction and demolition debris has gone only to the Franklin County Sanitary Landfill since September 29, 2025, not to its transfer stations, and a load hauled there has to be covered; SWACO publishes the rates and hours on its own site, along with a search tool for reuse and recycling options. In Delaware County, the county's Transfer and Recycling Center on U.S. 42 North takes construction and demolition debris. For Licking, Fairfield, Union, Madison and Pickaway counties, no resident-facing page naming a drop-off site for construction debris could be read for this page; the county solid waste district is the office to ask. Pickerington's own page names Rumpke as its trash service, which residents set up with the hauler directly, and its code separates rubbish from the earth, brick, stone and plaster left by building work.
Can an old toilet be recycled?
No consumer program for recycling a porcelain toilet in Central Ohio was found for this page. The one porcelain recycling program found belongs to a manufacturer and takes back scrap from its own factories; it is not open to a homeowner with an old bowl and tank. Reuse is limited too: Habitat for Humanity MidOhio's ReStore lists used toilets and used bathtubs among the donations it cannot take, so a reuse outlet should be asked before a fixture is hauled there.
What this page does not cover
Scope, plainly. Trash rules, hauler contracts and fees change, and some towns' pages could not be read for this page: Reynoldsburg's guidelines are in a document that would not open as text, Newark's own waste page covers recycling only and describes no city trash or bulk program, and London and Circleville could not be confirmed on an official page. For any of those, and for anything not named in the table, the town's public service department is the answer. Asbestos, lead paint and mold are not ordinary debris at all, and the rules for them are on the page on lead paint and asbestos in a pre-1978 bathroom. What the conversion price includes, removal and haul-away among it, is on the page on what is included in a conversion.
The short version. An old toilet or tub goes out under different rules in different Central Ohio towns. Westerville takes bathtubs and toilets at the curb as bulk items on the regular trash day; Upper Arlington excludes them by name, and Columbus's drop-off centers refuse toilets. Most towns do not collect construction debris at all, and in Franklin County it goes only to the Franklin County Sanitary Landfill; in Delaware County, to the county's Transfer and Recycling Center. No consumer toilet recycling program was found in Central Ohio.
Sources
Every figure, date and quotation on this page comes from one of these documents, read on the date given. Where two of them disagree, the page says so.
- City of Columbus, Bulk Collection and Waste and Reuse Convenience Centers; read September 25, 2026.
- Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio, Franklin County Sanitary Landfill, Rates and Alternative Disposal Resources; read September 25, 2026.
- City of Westerville, Bulk Items and Unacceptable Items; read September 25, 2026.
- City of Upper Arlington, Bulk Items; read September 25, 2026.
- City of Worthington, Garbage; read September 25, 2026.
- Local Waste Services, service guidelines for the cities of Hilliard, Gahanna and Grove City, the hauler named on each city's trash page; read September 25, 2026.
- City of Delaware, refuse and recycling collection pages, and the Delaware County Transfer and Recycling Center; read September 25, 2026.
- City of Lancaster, Trash Cart Guidelines and Bulk Pick-up; City of Marysville, Refuse Collection and Recycling; read September 25, 2026.
- City of Pickerington, Codified Ordinances section 1080.01; read September 25, 2026; and Service and Utilities; read September 26, 2026.
- Habitat for Humanity MidOhio, ReStore donations (items it cannot accept); read September 26, 2026.
Common questions
Can I put an old toilet out with the trash in Columbus?
Probably not. The City of Columbus's bulk collection is by appointment and excludes excavating and building materials, though it does not name toilets, and its waste and reuse convenience centers list toilets as not accepted; for items the city does not collect, its page says to call a private hauler. In Franklin County, construction and demolition debris goes to the Franklin County Sanitary Landfill, which the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio runs.
Does Westerville pick up old bathtubs and toilets?
Yes. The City of Westerville lists bathtubs and toilets as bulk items, set at the curb on the regular trash day. It also takes small amounts of debris from a resident's own remodeling job if it fits in the trash cart or cans or is tied in short bundles under 50 pounds, but never a contractor's debris.
Does Upper Arlington take an old toilet in bulk pickup?
No. Upper Arlington's bulk items page lists bath tubs and shower stalls, sinks, toilets, pipes and other plumbing materials as construction debris that is not accepted at the curb.
Where does remodel debris go in Franklin County?
The Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio says construction and demolition debris has gone only to the Franklin County Sanitary Landfill since September 29, 2025, not to its transfer stations, and a load has to be covered. SWACO publishes the landfill's rates and hours on its own site.
Is there a place to recycle an old porcelain toilet in Central Ohio?
No consumer program for recycling a porcelain toilet in Central Ohio was found. The one porcelain recycling program found is a manufacturer's, for scrap from its own factories. Reuse is limited as well: Habitat for Humanity MidOhio's ReStore does not accept used toilets or used bathtubs.
What counts as construction and demolition debris for trash pickup?
In most Central Ohio towns' own rules, concrete, brick, drywall, lumber, shingles, insulation and similar leftovers of building work. Whether a toilet or tub counts too is stated by name only on a few town pages, and they differ, so the town's own page or its public service department decides.
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