Household and garden rubbish, material from construction sites, old machinery and appliances, anything solid generally goes to a landfill. There are still a number of substandard landfills operating in New Zealand, eg. Cleanfills are landfills that are only permitted to accept waste that does not pose a risk to people or the environment. Cleanfills can only take inert wastes, ie wastes that do not undergo any significant physical, chemical or biological reactions. Inert wastes are materials like clay, soil, rock, concrete and bricks.
Some landfills collect green waste that is composted on site for resale.
Transfer stations are located at some landfill sites but away from the dangers of the tipface. The transfer station allows the public to drop off their waste in a safe environment. At the transfer station general rubbish is put on a tray, bin or concrete trough from where it is taken to the tip face by waste management staff. Hazardous wastes pose a risk to humans, animals and the environment. Examples include material that might be radioactive, explosive, flammable, infectious or toxic to all or parts of the environment.