What We Accept (and Don't Accept) - SMSG Drop-Off Guide

Nothing's worse than loading up a truck, driving to a disposal site, and finding out they won't take your material. We get it. That's why we put together this guide to what Smoky Mountain Sand & Gravel takes, and doesn't take, at our Blount County yard.

Read this before you load out and you won't make a wasted trip.

What We Accept (Free When Clean)

We're a dedicated concrete and asphalt recycling facility. Our crushers and screens are built for hard, aggregate-based material. Clean loads drop off free, with no scale and no appointment. Bring us:

Concrete (All Types)

This is our bread and butter. If it's made of concrete, we almost certainly take it:

• Broken sidewalks and curbing: any size pieces, from small chunks to full slab sections.
• Foundation slabs and footings: residential or commercial, any thickness.
• Concrete block (CMU): standard gray block, split-face block, whatever you have got.
• Precast concrete: barriers, wall panels, pipe sections, box culverts, manholes.
• Concrete pipe: storm drain pipe, sanitary sewer pipe, culvert pipe.
• Poured walls and retaining walls: break them up enough to fit in your truck and we will take them.
• Concrete pavement: road slabs, parking lot sections, apron slabs.
• Stamped or colored concrete: the coloring does not affect recyclability.

If it's concrete, bring it.

Concrete with Rebar or Wire Mesh

A lot of places turn away concrete with rebar or wire mesh because they don't want to mess with the steel. We take it. No need to strip rebar out before you come. We pull the steel during crushing and send it to a metal recycler. It's part of our normal workflow. More on that in do I need to separate rebar from concrete.

Asphalt

We're not just a concrete yard. We take asphalt too:

• Broken asphalt pavement: torn-out driveways, parking lots, road sections.
• Asphalt millings (RAP): the grindings from milling machines.
• Asphalt chunks of any size: from small pieces to full-thickness slabs.

For more details on asphalt drop-off and recycled asphalt products, check out our post on asphalt and paving services in Maryville.

Brick and Block

Clean brick and concrete block are accepted free. Knock off loose mortar dust and keep wood and trash out of the load. See our brick and masonry disposal guide for details.

Rock and Natural Stone

Clean rock or stone from an excavation or demolition? Bring it:

• Natural stone: limestone, sandstone, granite, fieldstone.
• Rip rap and large rock: as long as it is stone, it works.
• Clean gravel: loose gravel from a driveway or parking area.

Clean Fill Dirt (Call First)

We take clean fill dirt only with a call ahead. Call (865) 999-0857 before you load it so we can tell you whether we have room.

What We Do NOT Accept

This list matters just as much. Our equipment is built for specific materials. Bring the wrong stuff and it doesn't just slow us down. It can contaminate an entire batch of recycled aggregate and ruin it.

Don't bring:

Wood

Lumber, plywood, OSB, treated or untreated wood, forms, tree stumps, logs, branches. Wood jams our crushers and contaminates the finished product.

Trash and General Debris

Household garbage, plastic, packaging, insulation, foam, roofing materials (shingles, tar paper), paper, cardboard, mixed C&D debris. We're not a landfill or transfer station.

Drywall and Gypsum

Sheetrock, plasterboard, or any gypsum-based product. Gypsum is chemically incompatible with recycled concrete aggregate. Even a small amount causes problems.

Dirt Mixed Into Concrete or Asphalt

Concrete heavily caked in soil, or a load that's part dirt and part concrete, is a problem. A thin layer from the subgrade is one thing, but don't bring a load that's 30 percent dirt. Knock the loose soil off before loading.

Hazardous Materials

Anything contaminated with oil, fuel, chemicals, or hazardous substances. Lead-painted concrete (unless tested and cleared). Asbestos-containing materials. Contact your local environmental agency for proper disposal.

Metal (On Its Own)

Loose rebar, steel beams, pipes, or sheet metal. We take metal embedded in concrete, but we're not a scrap yard. Take loose metal to a scrap recycler. You'll probably get paid for it.

The Gray Areas

If your load is mixed, with some wood, trash, or a lot of dirt in it, call (865) 999-0857 before you haul. Loads that contain both concrete and asphalt are fine.

Two minutes on the phone saves a wasted haul.

Why Clean Loads Matter

We're not trying to be difficult. There's a real reason behind every item on the "don't bring" list: product quality. The recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) we produce goes into real construction projects: road base, backfill, drainage stone, and more. Check our materials page for the full lineup.

Contaminated material going in means compromised aggregate coming out. Nobody wants base stone with wood chips or drainage rock full of clay. Clean inputs mean reliable outputs, and that's what keeps clean drop-off free.

Tips for Preparing Your Load

A little planning on the job site saves everyone time at the yard:

1. Separate materials as you demo. Keep concrete in one pile and everything else in another. Costs you almost nothing on the demo end and makes loading way easier.
2. Shake off loose dirt. A few taps with the bucket knocks most of the subgrade soil off your concrete.
3. Leave the rebar. Don't waste time cutting rebar out. We handle it.
4. Call ahead if you're unsure. (865) 999-0857. We'll answer questions before you load up.

Our guide on how to load a truck for concrete drop-off has more tips.

Ready to Drop Off?

You know what we take. Load up your clean concrete, asphalt, brick, or stone and bring it to 245 Brookdale Rd in Maryville. We're open Monday through Friday 7 AM to 5 PM and Saturday 8 AM to noon. See free concrete drop-off for the details, or run the savings calculator to see what you'll save versus the landfill.

Buying RCA regularly? A contractor account keeps billing simple.

Questions? Call (865) 999-0857 or visit our contact page. We're here to make disposal simple.