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

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 charges about $60 per ton, runs weekday hours only, and has restrictions on who and how much can come in. 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. Clean concrete drops off free: no scale, no weighing, no appointment, 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 and wire mesh in the concrete are fine; we pull the steel during crushing. If the load has dirt, wood, or trash mixed in, call (865) 999-0857 before you haul. See how to load your truck for drop-off before you go.

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 (SMSG)	Free for clean loads	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.

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 7 AM to 5 PM and Saturday 8 AM to noon. Clean concrete drops off free, no scale, no wait. Call (865) 999-0857 if you have questions about your load before you make the drive.

Still breaking it out? Read how to break up a concrete driveway. Wondering about a dumpster? See can I put concrete in a dumpster.

Keep Reading

• How to Dispose of Small Amounts of Concrete
• How to Dispose of Cinder Blocks and Concrete Blocks
• Can You Bury Concrete on Your Property in Tennessee?