You've got a pile of broken concrete. Old driveway pieces the crew left behind, a torn-out back patio, the pad under a shed you finally pulled down. It's heavy, it's ugly, and your regular trash pickup won't touch it.

Here's the actual list of what to do with it, ranked honestly. The right answer depends on how much you've got, how much time you have, and whether you can move it yourself.

Option 1: Reuse It (Urbanite)

Broken concrete is called "urbanite" when you flip it into landscape material. It's the cheapest option by a wide margin because you're not paying anyone.

What it works for:

Garden borders and raised bed walls
Small retaining walls (under 3 feet tall)
Stepping stone paths
Fire pit surrounds
Dry-stacked terraces on sloped yards

Break bigger slabs down with a 3-pound sledge and a cold chisel, or rent a small electric jackhammer for the day. Wear safety glasses and gloves. Score a line, hit it hard, and it usually splits clean. Aim for pieces you can carry with two hands.

Best case: your problem becomes your next project. Worst case: you use half of it and still need to get rid of the rest.

Option 2: Give It Away

Post it free on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, or Nextdoor. Title it "Free concrete pieces" or "Free urbanite" and list the pickup location. In rural East Tennessee, DIYers and small-time landscapers watch these listings and will come get it, often within a day or two.

What helps a giveaway move fast:

Photos showing rough piece size
A driveway pile someone can back a truck up to
Flexible pickup times
Honest note if there's rebar sticking out

This is the cheapest option that fully clears your yard, but it can take a week. If you need it gone by Saturday, keep reading.

Option 3: Rent a Roll-Off Dumpster

Roll-offs are the default answer for demo debris because they're familiar. They're not the best answer for pure concrete.

The trade-offs:

Most rental companies (VaVia, Waste Management, East TN Dumpsters, and the local independents) cap heavy loads. Concrete-only bins are usually held to around 5 cubic yards even in a 20-yard container, because a full box would exceed truck weight limits.
Some companies won't accept concrete at all in a mixed-debris bin. You have to ask upfront.
Delivery and pickup take a few days on each end.
Per-ton, it's one of the more expensive routes once you factor in the rental fee plus overweight surcharges.

Roll-offs make sense if you're doing a full demo with wood, drywall, and concrete mixed. For concrete alone, the other options are usually cheaper and faster.

Option 4: Drop It at a Landfill

For larger loads you can haul yourself, direct-to-landfill drop-off is straightforward. You pay by the ton at the scale.

A few local realities to know before you drive over:

The Blount County landfill is residents-only and has restrictions on how much a household can bring at once. Call ahead.
Knox County convenience centers do not accept concrete. Don't show up with a truck bed full expecting to unload.
The nearest construction and demolition (C&D) landfill that accepts general concrete is in Knoxville. It closes weekday afternoons and is not open Saturdays.

Bring cash or a card and expect a wait if a commercial hauler is ahead of you at the scale.

Option 5: Drop It at a Recycling Yard

Local recycling yards accept clean concrete, crush it, and resell it as aggregate. It goes back into driveways and drainage projects instead of a landfill.

Smoky Mountain Sand & Gravel in Maryville is the local option. Flat per-vehicle fee, no scale, no weighing, no membership. Open Saturday morning, which is when most homeowners actually have time to move a load. Bring pickup loads, trailer loads, or a couple of five-gallon buckets from a small demo. All of it works.

Rebar bits sticking out of pieces are fine in normal amounts. A load that's mostly twisted rebar with concrete crumbs attached is not what a recycling yard wants.

Option 6: Hire a Haul-Away Service

If you can't lift it, throw it, or drive it, pay someone to do all three. LoadUp, Foothills Disposal, DemoKnox, and local junk-removal outfits will send a crew and a truck.

This is the highest-cost option. You're paying for labor, fuel, disposal fees, and the company's margin. It's the right answer when:

The concrete is in a backyard with no vehicle access
You're physically not able to move it
You need it gone today

Get two or three quotes. Prices vary a lot by company and by how accessible the pile is.

Comparison Table

| Option | Cost | Effort | Speed | Volume | Best For | |--------|------|--------|-------|--------|----------| | Reuse as urbanite | Free | High | You choose | Small | DIY landscape projects | | Give it away | Free | Low | 1-7 days | Any | Anyone with a driveway pile | | Roll-off dumpster | High per ton | Low | 2-4 days | Medium | Mixed demo debris | | Landfill drop-off | Medium per ton | High | Same day | Large | Big loads, you own a truck | | Recycling yard | Flat per-load fee | Medium | Same day | Any | Most homeowners, Saturday drops | | Haul-away service | Highest | Very low | Same day | Any | No truck, no time, no access |

For a small backyard project, urbanite reuse wins. For a torn-up driveway you can shovel into a pickup, the recycling yard is the sweet spot. For a full commercial teardown, direct-to-landfill or a haul-away crew makes more sense.

Common Questions

Can I put broken concrete in my regular trash? No. Curbside pickup does not take concrete. It's too heavy for the trucks and the transfer stations reject it. Even a five-gallon bucket of chunks in your rollout cart will get left behind.

How much does it cost to get rid of concrete? It ranges from free (reuse or giveaway) to $200 or more for a tri-axle drop at a landfill and $200-$500+ for a haul-away service on a mid-sized load. A drop at a local recycling yard sits in the middle at a flat per-load fee.

Can I recycle concrete in East Tennessee? Yes. Smoky Mountain Sand & Gravel in Maryville accepts clean concrete for recycling. It gets crushed and reused as aggregate for driveways, base rock, and drainage stone.

Do I need to break the concrete into smaller pieces before dropping it off? It helps but isn't required. Reasonable chunks you can lift out of a truck bed are fine. Slabs the size of a coffee table are harder to unload but still workable. Slabs the size of a car hood are not.

What if there's rebar in the concrete? Minimal rebar sticking out of pieces is fine at a recycling yard. If the load is mostly rebar with bits of concrete stuck to it, that's a metal scrap yard's problem, not a concrete recycling yard's.

Where to Drop It Locally

If you're in Blount County or the surrounding area and want the recycling-yard option, Smoky Mountain Sand & Gravel is at 245 Brookdale Rd in Maryville. Open Monday through Friday 7am to 5pm and Saturday 7am to 12pm. Flat per-vehicle fee for concrete drop-off, no scale, no wait. Call (865) 999-0857 if you want to know what a load like yours will run before you make the drive.

What Do I Do With Broken Concrete? East TN Homeowner Guide