Concrete Disposal Cost in East TN: By Truck Size (2026)

What it costs to get rid of concrete in East Tennessee comes down to two things: how heavy the load is, and where you take it. Landfills charge by the ton, and concrete is heavy. SMSG takes clean concrete free, any truck size, any county.

This guide covers cost by truck size, the Knoxville picture, dumpsters, what counts as a clean load, and the costs that never show up on a landfill's rate sheet.

The Short Answer

• Landfill: about $60 per ton at the Blount County Landfill for concrete and C&D debris. Weekdays only, roughly 7 AM to 3 PM, and out-of-county haulers can be turned away.
• SMSG recycling yard (Maryville): free for clean loads. Concrete with or without rebar, asphalt, brick, block, and natural stone. No scale, no appointment. Pickups to tri-axles.
• Mixed or dirty loads: call (865) 999-0857 before you haul.

Cost to Dump Concrete by Truck Size

Here is the same load priced two ways. Landfill figures use about $60 per ton. Concrete weighs roughly 1.3 to 1.6 tons per loose cubic yard of broken chunks, so tonnage climbs fast.

Vehicle	Typical Concrete Weight	Landfill (~$60/ton)	SMSG (clean load)
Pickup truck	0.5-1.5 tons	$30-$90, plus any minimum	Free
Single-axle trailer (up to 6 yd)	5-8 tons	$300-$480	Free
Tandem trailer (6-10 yd)	10-14 tons	$600-$840	Free
Single-axle dump (10-14 yd)	12-16 tons	$720-$960	Free
10-yard roll-off container	13-16 tons	$780-$960	Free
Tandem dump (14-18 yd)	20-24 tons	$1,200-$1,440	Free
Tri-axle or end dump (18+ yd)	27-35 tons	$1,620-$2,100	Free

A contractor running two clean tandem loads a day is looking at $2,400 to $2,880 a day in landfill tipping that simply goes away.

Sizing notes by truck

Pickup. A half-ton pickup safely carries about 1,000 to 1,500 pounds of concrete. A three-quarter ton is closer to 2,500. Concrete is heavier than it looks, so if chunks are above the bed rails you are probably over. Two trips cost nothing extra at SMSG, so don't wreck a suspension trying to do it in one.

Single-axle trailer. Check the trailer's GVWR before loading. A 7,000-pound trailer will hit its tire rating at about 3 to 4 yards of concrete, well before the box looks full.

Tandem trailer. Load flat with a slight crown. A heaping trailer of chunks can catch on gate clearances and overhead lines.

Single-axle dump. Usually rated around 26,000 pounds GVW. Concrete gets you to max weight before you fill the bed, so load to weight, not volume.

10-yard roll-off. Concrete-only roll-offs are almost always the 10-yard heavy-debris size. Fill to the fill line. Over-height concrete boxes get refused by the hauler because the truck can't legally carry them.

Tandem dump. The workhorse for demo and haul contractors. Same rule: a heaping load of dirt may be fine, a heaping load of concrete is over your rear-axle rating.

Tri-axle or end dump. We have room for tri-axles and end dumps at 245 Brookdale Rd. If it's your first visit with a semi, a quick call ahead saves time at the gate.

Not sure how many tons your job is? The formula is length (ft) x width (ft) x thickness (ft) x 150 = pounds. A 10x10 patio at 4 inches thick is about 5,000 pounds, or 2.5 tons. The concrete tear-out calculator does the math for you.

Cost to Dump Concrete Near Knoxville

Knox County is where most people get surprised, because the free public options don't take concrete at all.

• Knox County convenience centers: refuse concrete, asphalt, brick, and block. See the full Knox County excluded list.
• Knoxville Transfer Station: excludes concrete, brick, and asphalt. Show up with broken slab and you get turned around.
• Private C&D landfills in Knox County (Riverside, Poplar View): charged by the ton, call for current rates, limited weekday hours. See Riverside vs SMSG.
• Blount County Landfill: about $60 per ton, but residency is checked and non-Blount haulers can be turned away.
• SMSG in Maryville: free for clean loads, any county welcome. About 25 minutes down Alcoa Highway (US-129) from most of Knoxville.

From Farragut, Hardin Valley, or Powell, Pellissippi Parkway (I-140) gets you here in under 30 minutes. A loaded tandem dump burns roughly 5 to 6 gallons of diesel on the round trip from downtown Knoxville. That is a small number next to $1,200 or more in landfill tipping. More routing detail is on the Knox County service area page.

Dumpster Rental: When It Makes Sense

A roll-off comes to you, which is the whole appeal. The catch is weight. A 10-yard rental in East Tennessee typically runs about $300 to $500 as a base rate with a weight allowance of roughly 1 to 2 tons. A 10-yard box of solid concrete can weigh 13 tons or more, and overage is charged by the ton.

If you go the dumpster route for pure concrete, ask for a "clean concrete only" or heavy-debris rate. Better yet, if you have a truck or trailer, haul it yourself and drop it free. Dumpsters make the most sense for mixed demo debris that a recycling yard can't take anyway. More on weight limits in can I put concrete in a dumpster.

Junk removal services will also take concrete, but it's their most expensive category because of the weight. Minimums often start around $200. That's the right call only when you physically can't move the material.

What Makes a Load "Clean"

Clean loads drop free. Here is what that means at our gate.

Accepted free when clean:

• Concrete, with or without rebar or wire mesh
• Asphalt: chunks, millings, broken pavement
• Brick and block
• Natural stone and rock

Call ahead first:

• Clean fill dirt (accepted only with a call ahead)

Not accepted:

• Trash, wood, drywall, roofing
• Mixed C&D debris
• Hazardous material or household waste

The most common problem is dirt mixed into concrete or asphalt. A little soil clinging to chunks is normal. A load that is half clay is not clean. Full details are on what we accept.

Hidden Costs the Rate Sheet Leaves Out

The per-ton fee is just the number on the invoice. A landfill run also costs you:

• Drive time. Landfills aren't always near the job, and every mile is fuel and driver wages.
• Wait at the scale. Weigh in, dump, weigh out. Your crew and truck sitting in line is billable time you never bill for.
• Limited hours. The Blount County Landfill is weekdays only, roughly 7 AM to 3 PM. Miss the window and the load rides home with you.
• Residency turn-aways. Out-of-county haulers can be refused at the Blount County Landfill. That's a wasted trip both ways.
• Minimums and surcharges. Many landfills have minimum charges on small loads and add fees for contaminated loads.

At SMSG there's no scale, no appointment for clean loads, and the yard is open Monday through Friday 7 AM to 5 PM and Saturday 8 AM to noon. Pull in, tell the office what you're hauling, dump in the designated area, and roll out. First time? Read first time dumping concrete.

When You'd Still Pay

Free applies to clean loads. You may still pay somewhere when:

• The load is mixed. Concrete tangled with wood, drywall, roofing, or trash. Call (865) 999-0857 before you haul and we'll tell you whether to bring it, sort it, or send it elsewhere.
• It's truly mixed C&D. A dumpster full of demo debris belongs at a landfill or mixed-waste facility, which charges by the ton.
• You need it hauled. If you don't have a truck, we offer trucking. Call for pricing.

For a side-by-side of the landfill and recycling routes on a real job, including annual savings for contractors, see concrete recycling vs landfill disposal.

Drop Your Load

Smoky Mountain Sand & Gravel, 245 Brookdale Rd, Maryville TN 37801. Clean concrete and asphalt drop free, any county, pickups to tri-axles. Details on the free concrete drop-off page and concrete disposal service page. Questions about your load? Call (865) 999-0857.