Who knew trying to get rid of something could cost money? Among the many things you should get rid of, you decide to kick out the piano, and you wonder how much it costs to dump it. Although the prices vary among states and landfills, there is an average price in the United States for how much it costs to dump off a piano at the dump.
To dump a piano costs between $0 and $100 depending on the weight of the piano. If a person visits the landfill within their county limits, it can be free. If a person is from the outside of the county, most landfills in the United States charge between $0 and $100 per ton.
But there is still plenty that can go into the cost of dumping a piano at the dump. This article should give detailed information on this topic.
Location
Depending on where you live, the costs will vary. To go to a dump that is outside of your county it will likely be more expensive. For example, for a person who lives outside Bonneville county in Idaho Falls, it costs about 100 dollars a ton. If you live inside the county then it is free to dump.
Some dumps will charge per pound and others charge per ton. You can also fill a large truck with the things you would like to dump and they will charge you per dump.
In Rexburg, ID at the Madison County Landfill, it costs 4 cents a pound. That means it would cost approximately 20 dollars to dump an upright piano. A baby Grand would be about 28 dollars, 32 for a Grand, and 4 for a digital.
2000 pounds make up a ton. So for a dump that charges 4 cents a pound, it would cost 80 dollars for a ton.
At the South UT Valley Solid Waste District, it costs 36 dollars per ton. If you divide 36 by 2000, this converts to 0.018 dollars per pound. So a digital piano, weighing 100 lbs, would cost 1.80 dollars, an upright, weighing 500 lbs, would cost 9.00 dollars, a baby grand, weighing 650 lbs, would cost 11.70 dollars, and a grand, weighing 800 lbs, would cost 14.4 dollars.
At the Bonneville Transfer Station in Idaho, it costs 100 dollars a ton for those who live outside of the county. It is free for those who live inside the county.
At the California Black Butte Transfer Recycle it is 73 dollars a ton. `
On average, the cost of dumping your piano at the dump is 70 dollars a ton.
Here is a Youtube video that explains where the money paid to the dump goes. In the middle of the video, there is an image presented that displays the average dumping costs of each state in the United States.
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Varied Weights of Pianos
There are several different types of pianos. The smallest size would be the transportable digital piano, and the largest would be a Grand Piano.
A digital piano weighs about 80-100 pounds. The 2nd largest type of piano is an upright and it weighs about 500 pounds. The next largest is a baby grand which weighs around 650, and the largest is a grand which can be 800-1000 pounds. Here is a graph that shows the piano types and their average weights.
| Piano Type | Average Weight in lbs |
| Upright | 500 lbs, |
| Baby Grand | 650-700 |
| Grand | 800 |
| Digital | 100 |
Assisted Dumping
It may be difficult to load up a piano on your own. You may be able to use your own pick-up truck if the piano is small enough to fit, and you have a way to lift it up there. Perhaps you have a trailer you can pull yourself. If you do not have the capability to load and dump your piano on your own, there are several services that can assist you.
At the California Black Butte Transfer Station, they offer to come and pick up whatever you’d like to dump. Consider calling your local dump to see what services they offer. It is likely that if you live outside of the county that you will have to pay a fee. It could possibly be free if you are within the boundaries of the county.
Renting a Uhaul is another option. Here is a website where you can search how much it costs to drive it from one location to the other using a Uhaul.
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There is also a junk removal service you can look into called 1-800-GOT-JUNK.
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Alternatives to Dumping
There are different ways to get rid of your piano. One option is to sell it. Try to post it on Facebook Marketplace, eBay, KSL, or other similar websites. If you live in a neighborhood you could even place it on the street and put a “for sale” sign on it. Or you could put a sign that says “free” if you just want to get rid of it. Selling a piano would be a beneficial option, but it is more challenging. Several pianos are for sale on different websites but are not often purchased.
Donation sites will also likely accept pianos. Deseret Industries is one example. Most churches and schools will also accept a piano, depending on the quality of the piano.
If your piano is in bad shape and can not be played, you can sell different pieces of the piano. The wood and metal can be re-purposed. The larger the piano, the more material there will be. It is a tedious job to disassemble a piano and figure out the value of each piece. If this is an option you are interested in, here is a video of a man taking apart a piano and marking the prices for each salvageable item.
The simplest option that involves the least amount of work on behalf of the person getting rid of the piano would be to take it to the nearest dump. If the local dump is free, that is a win. If they will pick up your load for free it is a double win. Other ways of discarding your piano will require more time and effort, but you could make a small profit. If instead, you decide to take your piano to the dump, it will likely cost you between 0-100 dollars.
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