Garbage dump - Revision history

CaptainTofu: dumping command does not affect worn/held items

2026-06-28T11:35:46Z

dumping command does not affect worn/held items

87.143.77.206 at 03:36, 24 January 2026

2026-01-24T03:36:20Z

Silverwing235: /* Reclaim dumped items */

2025-12-08T14:38:46Z

Reclaim dumped items

GeloMor: /* Reclaim dumped items */

2025-12-08T13:00:05Z

Reclaim dumped items

GeloMor: /* Marking items to dump */

2025-12-08T10:37:32Z

Marking items to dump

GeloMor: /* Marking items to dump */

2025-12-08T10:33:09Z

Marking items to dump

GeloMor at 09:47, 8 December 2025

2025-12-08T09:47:43Z

Silverwing235 at 15:39, 5 December 2025

2025-12-05T15:39:13Z

174.118.17.80 at 17:09, 31 October 2025

2025-10-31T17:09:46Z

DPhKraken: Container ambiguity

2025-02-14T06:33:17Z

Container ambiguity

@@ Line 30: / Line 30: @@
 * As above in the Stocks menu, but click the dump button for a group of items.
 * Use bulk designation {{menu icon|i|p}}
-'''NOTE:''' Bulk dumping designates ''all'' items on the tiles for dumping, even built [[furniture]], the construction materials making up buildings, items inside [[Storage|container]]s, etc. In the case of built furniture and building components, this will have no immediate effect; however, upon deconstruction the item will immediately be dropped on a nearby square by the dwarf hauling the item to await disposal in the nearest dump.
+'''NOTE:''' Bulk dumping designates ''all'' items on the tiles for dumping, even built [[furniture]], the construction materials making up buildings, items inside [[Storage|container]]s, etc. The only exceptions are items worn or held by a creature. In the case of built furniture and building components, this will have no immediate effect; however, upon deconstruction the item will immediately be dropped on a nearby square by the dwarf hauling the item to await disposal in the nearest dump.
 === Moving items to dump ===

@@ Line 8: / Line 8: @@
 * Garbage dumps don't have categories - dwarves will dump any items marked to be dumped, '''including objects of value!'''
-Garbage dump zones are useful for many things beyond [[garbage disposal]]; they can create [[quantum stockpile]]s, transport materials to a job site, send items to the [[trade depot]] when no caravan is present, [[trap design#Falling_debris_trap|drop rocks]] on enemies below, and numerous other uses.
+Garbage dump zones are useful for many things beyond [[garbage disposal]]; they can create [[quantum stockpile]]s, transport materials to a job site, send items to the [[trade depot]] when no caravan is present, [[trap design#Falling_debris_trap|drop rocks]] on enemies below, and numerous other uses. Also active garbage dumps seem to increase the likelihood of vermin, which are usually encountered near food and refuse stockpiles (ie. rats, hamster, but also - in good biomes - fluffy wamblers), to be created nearby.
 === Create garbage dump ===

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 Dumped items are automatically marked as [[forbid]]den, preventing dwarves from touching them. Therefore, these items can't be used, or even selected in workshop jobs, etc.
-If for some reason [[Main:Urist|Urist]] is yet again incapable of locating their favorite pair of cave troll leather socks, they should think to look among the black hole of matter that is the nearest garbage dump, as the socks could be snugly lodged between a few billion rocks.
+If, for some reason, [[Urist]] is yet again incapable of locating their favorite pair of cave troll [[leather]] [[sock]]s, they should think to look among the black hole of matter that is the nearest garbage dump, as the socks could be snugly lodged between a few billion rocks.
-You can reclaim Dumped/forbidden items in the same ways as in [[#Marking items to dump]] section above, except clicking the forbid button ([[File:Button forbid active.png]]).
+You can reclaim dumped/forbidden items in the same ways as in [[#Marking items to dump]] section above, except clicking the forbid button ([[File:Button forbid active.png]]).
 ===Dwarves won't dump no matter what I do===

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 If for some reason [[Main:Urist|Urist]] is yet again incapable of locating their favorite pair of cave troll leather socks, they should think to look among the black hole of matter that is the nearest garbage dump, as the socks could be snugly lodged between a few billion rocks.
-You can reclaim Dumped/forbidden items in the same ways as in [[#Marking items to dump]] section above, except clicking the forbid button.
+You can reclaim Dumped/forbidden items in the same ways as in [[#Marking items to dump]] section above, except clicking the forbid button ([[File:Button forbid active.png]]).
 ===Dwarves won't dump no matter what I do===

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 * On the '''ground''':  Click the tile the item is on, then if there is more than one item there, click the tab of the item on the right edge of the sheet window, and click the dump button ([[File:Button dump.png]]).
 * In a '''workshop''': Click one of the tiles the workshop, find the item in the list of items in that workshop (which may not be viewable if the UI is scaled to large), and click the dump button.
-* '''Held''' by a dwarf: View the dwarf's sheet, select the Items tab, find the item in the list, click the button to view the item's sheet, and click the dump button.
+* '''Held''' by a dwarf: View the dwarf's sheet, select the Items tab, find the item in the list, click the button to view the item's sheet ([[File:Mag glass icon.png]]), and click the dump button.
 * Inside a '''container''': Display the container's item sheet, find the item in the list of items in that container, and click the dump button.
 * In the '''stocks''' menu: Type {{k|k}} or click the Stocks button, then either:

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 === Marking items to dump ===
 To mark an individual item for dumping when it is:
-* On the '''ground''':  Click the tile the item is on, then if there is more than one item there, click the tab of the item on the right edge of the sheet window, and click the dump button.
+* On the '''ground''':  Click the tile the item is on, then if there is more than one item there, click the tab of the item on the right edge of the sheet window, and click the dump button ([[File:Button dump.png]]).
 * In a '''workshop''': Click one of the tiles the workshop, find the item in the list of items in that workshop (which may not be viewable if the UI is scaled to large), and click the dump button.
 * '''Held''' by a dwarf: View the dwarf's sheet, select the Items tab, find the item in the list, click the button to view the item's sheet, and click the dump button.

@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 === Create garbage dump ===
-To place a garbage dump, select zone ({{k|z}}), then Garbage Dump, paint your desired shape, either on a flat area or next to a cliff or hole, and click Accept. After accepting the placement, the zone can renamed, repainted, suspended, or deleted.
+To place a garbage dump, select zone ({{menu icon|z}}), then Garbage Dump, paint your desired shape, either on a flat area or next to a cliff or hole, and click Accept. After accepting the placement, the zone can renamed, repainted, suspended, or deleted.
 If the dump zone is designated next to a [[cliff]] or hole, the items will be dropped off the edge; otherwise they will be dropped on a tile in the zone. Note that, like [[Water source|water sources]], the dump zone must be designated '''adjacent''' to a cliff for dwarves to dump items off of it, ''not'' directly above it. Although each ground tile within that zone is considered a garbage dump tile, dwarves can drop multiple items on a single tile, usually the closest tile when they path to the zone.
@@ Line 29: / Line 29: @@
 To mark multiple items for dumping:
 * As above in the Stocks menu, but click the dump button for a group of items.
-* Use bulk designation {{k|i}}-{{k|p}}
+* Use bulk designation {{menu icon|i|p}}
 '''NOTE:''' Bulk dumping designates ''all'' items on the tiles for dumping, even built [[furniture]], the construction materials making up buildings, items inside [[Storage|container]]s, etc. In the case of built furniture and building components, this will have no immediate effect; however, upon deconstruction the item will immediately be dropped on a nearby square by the dwarf hauling the item to await disposal in the nearest dump.
@@ Line 55: / Line 55: @@
 === Strategy ===
-Garbage dumps are great space savers because they can hold an infinite number of items on one tile; with some micromanagement they can even compress large, one-item-per-tile [[stockpile]]s into single-tile [[quantum stockpile]]s (although this requires additional work and is usually considered an [[exploit]]). The most common use for garbage dumps is for cleaning away loose stones left in your fortress by your [[miner]]s: mark them for dumping, wait for the jobs to be completed, and then reclaim them ({{k|i}}-{{k|F}}) for use by your stonemasons; bonus points if you do this next to a stoneworking workshop and then re-designate the tile as a stone stockpile. If the dump is designated inside a workshop, the workshop will not become cluttered. However, if you put a garbage dump inside a magma workshop with the intent of dumping ores there, make sure the zone does not overlap any open pits of magma you may have carelessly left around, or as per intended behavior, items will be dumped into the magma.
+Garbage dumps are great space savers because they can hold an infinite number of items on one tile; with some micromanagement they can even compress large, one-item-per-tile [[stockpile]]s into single-tile [[quantum stockpile]]s (although this requires additional work and is usually considered an [[exploit]]). The most common use for garbage dumps is for cleaning away loose stones left in your fortress by your [[miner]]s: mark them for dumping, wait for the jobs to be completed, and then reclaim them ({{menu icon|i|F}}) for use by your stonemasons; bonus points if you do this next to a stoneworking workshop and then re-designate the tile as a stone stockpile. If the dump is designated inside a workshop, the workshop will not become cluttered. However, if you put a garbage dump inside a magma workshop with the intent of dumping ores there, make sure the zone does not overlap any open pits of magma you may have carelessly left around, or as per intended behavior, items will be dumped into the magma.
 ==See also==

@@ Line 6: / Line 6: @@
 [[File:Stockpile.png|thumb|350px|right|Garbage dumps are used most often for clearing out large areas of leftover stone - for instance, when constructing a [[stockpile]].]]Garbage dumps are ''not'' the same as [[Refuse#Refuse|refuse]] stockpiles.
 * Refuse stockpiles can be designated to accept specific type(s) of refuse, such as animal [[corpse]]s or [[bones]], and then are automatically filled by haulers whenever the items appear on the map.
-* Garbage dumps don't have categories. Dwarves will dump any items marked to be dumped, including objects of value!
+* Garbage dumps don't have categories - dwarves will dump any items marked to be dumped, '''including objects of value!'''
 Garbage dump zones are useful for many things beyond [[garbage disposal]]; they can create [[quantum stockpile]]s, transport materials to a job site, send items to the [[trade depot]] when no caravan is present, [[trap design#Falling_debris_trap|drop rocks]] on enemies below, and numerous other uses.
@@ Line 13: / Line 13: @@
 To place a garbage dump, select zone ({{k|z}}), then Garbage Dump, paint your desired shape, either on a flat area or next to a cliff or hole, and click Accept. After accepting the placement, the zone can renamed, repainted, suspended, or deleted.
-If the dump zone is designated next to a [[cliff]] or hole, the items will be dropped off the edge; otherwise they will be dropped on a tile in the zone. Note that like [[Water source|water sources]], the dump zone must be designated '''adjacent''' to a cliff for dwarves to dump items off of it, ''not'' directly above it. Although each ground tile within that zone is considered a garbage dump tile, dwarves can drop multiple items on a single tile, usually the closest tile when they path to the zone.
+If the dump zone is designated next to a [[cliff]] or hole, the items will be dropped off the edge; otherwise they will be dropped on a tile in the zone. Note that, like [[Water source|water sources]], the dump zone must be designated '''adjacent''' to a cliff for dwarves to dump items off of it, ''not'' directly above it. Although each ground tile within that zone is considered a garbage dump tile, dwarves can drop multiple items on a single tile, usually the closest tile when they path to the zone.
 Most items dropped in magma will be destroyed, and items dropped in a river may get washed downstream; in either case the items will be very hard to recover (''ergo, best not to do either of those in the first place'').