Where to Dump Concrete in Oak Ridge & Anderson County

Quick answer: Clean concrete from Oak Ridge, Clinton, or anywhere in Anderson County can go to Smoky Mountain Sand & Gravel, 245 Brookdale Rd, Maryville TN 37801. Clean loads drop free, no scale, no appointment, rebar is fine.

• Drive: about 40 minutes from Oak Ridge via TN-162 / Pellissippi Parkway (I-140)
• Hours: Mon-Fri 7 AM to 5 PM, Saturday 8 AM to noon, closed Sunday
• Takes: concrete, asphalt, brick, block, natural stone
• Questions or mixed loads: call (865) 999-0857

If you're tearing out a slab in Oak Ridge or breaking up a driveway in Clinton, the hard part usually isn't the jackhammer. It's figuring out where a few tons of broken concrete can legally go without paying by the ton or getting turned around at a gate. This guide covers the realistic options for Anderson County, how the drive works, and how to make the trip worth it.

Where Can I Dump Concrete in Oak Ridge?

You have four basic paths. Which one makes sense depends on how much concrete you have and how clean it is.

| Option | How it's charged | Good for | Watch out for | |---|---|---|---| | Anderson County landfill / convenience centers | Call them for current rules and rates | Small amounts, if accepted | Many convenience centers are not set up for heavy concrete; rules can change | | Private C&D landfill | Charged by the ton | Mixed demo debris | Tonnage adds up fast on concrete | | Roll-off dumpster | Rental plus weight limits | Mixed jobs with trash | Concrete hits weight limits long before the box is full | | SMSG recycling yard (Maryville) | Free for clean loads | Concrete, asphalt, brick, block, stone | About 40 minutes from Oak Ridge |

We're not going to quote Anderson County's rules or rates here because they're theirs to set and they change. Call the county landfill or convenience centers directly before you load up. If they take concrete, ask about load limits, hours, and whether there's a per-ton charge.

For comparison, the Blount County Landfill charges about $60 per ton for concrete, is open weekdays only from about 7 AM to 3 PM, and may turn away out-of-county haulers. Over in Knox County, the convenience centers refuse concrete entirely (more on that in our Knox County convenience center guide). That's why a lot of Oak Ridge crews end up at a recycling yard instead.

How Far Is SMSG From Oak Ridge and Clinton?

The run from Oak Ridge is straightforward: take TN-162 (Pellissippi Parkway) southeast, stay on it as it becomes I-140, and follow it to Maryville. Brookdale Rd is a few minutes off the end of the parkway.

| Starting point | Typical route | Approximate drive | |---|---|---| | Oak Ridge (Oak Ridge Tpke / Illinois Ave) | TN-162 / Pellissippi Pkwy (I-140) | About 40 minutes | | Clinton | Toward Oak Ridge or I-75, then Pellissippi Pkwy | About 45 minutes to an hour | | Claxton / Solway area | Pellissippi Pkwy (I-140) | About 35 to 40 minutes | | Karns / Hardin Valley | Pellissippi Pkwy (I-140) | About 25 to 30 minutes |

Drive times are rough and depend on traffic, especially around the I-40 interchange at rush hour. Midday and Saturday mornings are usually the easiest runs.

If you're working closer to Knoxville, see our Knoxville service area page and the Karns page.

Is the 40-Minute Drive Worth It?

For anything bigger than a few buckets, usually yes. Concrete is heavy. A cubic yard of solid concrete weighs roughly 4,000 pounds, so a small patio turns into tons fast.

| Job | Rough concrete weight | At a per-ton rate like Blount's ~$60/ton | At SMSG (clean) | |---|---|---|---| | 10 x 10 patio, 4" thick | About 2.5 tons | About $150 | Free | | 12 x 40 driveway, 4" thick | About 12 tons | About $720 | Free | | 24 x 24 garage slab, 4" thick | About 14 tons | About $840 | Free | | 30 x 40 house slab, 4" thick | About 30 tons | About $1,800 | Free |

Those numbers are estimates for planning. Thickened edges, footings, and grade beams add weight. To run your own numbers, use the concrete tear-out calculator.

The drive costs fuel and time, but on a driveway-sized job the disposal savings usually cover both several times over. If you're running multiple loads, it adds up quickly.

Typical Oak Ridge and Anderson County Jobs We See

Older Oak Ridge house slabs and alphabet houses

Oak Ridge has a lot of housing from the 1940s and 1950s, including Cemestos and other "alphabet house" designs. Renovations and tear-downs on those lots produce porch slabs, patios, sidewalks, steps, and sometimes full slabs. Plain concrete from these jobs is exactly what we take.

One caution with older homes: if the slab has floor tile, old mastic, or coatings stuck to it, that material is not part of a clean concrete load. Strip it off first, and if you suspect asbestos in old tile or mastic, have it tested and handled properly before demo. When in doubt, call before you haul.

Driveways and sidewalks

Cracked residential driveways are the most common load we see from Anderson County. Breaking them into manageable pieces and keeping dirt out of the load is the main job. Our DIY driveway breakup guide covers the tools and process.

Commercial work along Oak Ridge Tpke and Illinois Ave

Parking lot islands, curb and gutter, sidewalk replacement, and pad tear-outs from retail and office work come in by dump truck. We take everything from pickups up to tri-axles, and asphalt from parking lot work is accepted free too. See asphalt disposal for details.

Industrial or government-site concrete

If concrete comes from an industrial site or anywhere there's a question about contamination, don't just show up. Call (865) 999-0857 first so we can talk through what it is.

What SMSG Accepts (and What It Doesn't)

| Accepted free when clean | Not accepted | |---|---| | Concrete, with or without rebar or wire mesh | Trash and household waste | | Asphalt chunks, millings, broken pavement | Wood, lumber, stumps | | Brick and block | Drywall and roofing | | Natural stone and rock | Mixed C&D debris | | Clean fill dirt (call ahead only) | Hazardous material |

A few details that save trouble:

• Rebar is fine. You don't need to cut it out. Our rebar guide explains why.
• Dirt mixed into concrete is a problem. A little soil clinging to the bottom of a slab is normal. Buckets of dirt scooped in with the concrete are not.
• Mixed or dirty loads: call (865) 999-0857 before you haul. We'd rather sort it out on the phone than at the gate.

Full details are on the concrete disposal service page and in what we accept.

How to Make the Trip Count

A 40-minute run is easy to justify when the truck is loaded right.

1. Load concrete only. Keep a separate pile or trailer for trash and wood.
2. Break pieces to a size you can handle. For pickups, pieces you can lift or slide out by hand. For dump trucks, size isn't much of an issue.
3. Watch your payload. Concrete overloads a half-ton pickup fast. A few hundred pounds per wheelbarrow adds up. Check your truck or trailer rating.
4. Stack and tarp. Secure the load for Pellissippi speeds.
5. Combine trips. If you're also picking up base rock for the new pour, you can handle both in one visit.

Our truck loading guide goes deeper, and first time dumping concrete walks through what happens at the gate.

Need Base Rock for the New Slab?

Most tear-outs are followed by a new pour, and that needs a compacted base. We sell RCA crusher run (recycled concrete, 3/4" minus with fines, compacts hard) for driveways, pads, and slab base, and RCA #57 for drainage. Delivery is available to Oak Ridge and the rest of Anderson County. Pricing is by phone, so call (865) 999-0857 or see aggregate for sale.

Anderson County Concrete Disposal: The Short Version

• Call Anderson County's landfill or convenience centers for their current concrete rules and rates before relying on them.
• Dumpsters and C&D landfills work for mixed debris, but concrete is heavy and expensive by the ton.
• For clean concrete, asphalt, brick, block, and stone, free drop-off at SMSG is about 40 minutes from Oak Ridge, open six days a week, with no scale and no appointment.

Smoky Mountain Sand & Gravel 245 Brookdale Rd, Maryville TN 37801 (865) 999-0857 Mon-Fri 7 AM to 5 PM, Saturday 8 AM to noon

More local info: Oak Ridge, Anderson County, Knox County, and our East TN concrete disposal guide.