Concrete Disposal in San Antonio: Where Can Broken Concrete Go?
Broken concrete in San Antonio goes to a landfill or a concrete recycler, or it gets reused on site. Concrete disposal is not part of the city’s drop-off or pickup programs. A national cost guide puts landfill dump fees at $90 to $160 per ton. An EPA reference puts a cubic yard of concrete at 4,024 pounds, about 2 tons.
Those fees are market numbers, not our price list. Global Contractors LLC breaks out and hauls off driveways, slabs and patios as concrete removal work. For a whole patio or driveway, the breaking and the haul come on one written estimate.
Does the City of San Antonio take broken concrete?
Not through its bulky waste programs. The city’s bulky waste collection centers list soil, rocks and concrete under unaccepted materials. The centers serve residential customers only, and you bring a recent CPS Energy bill and a photo ID.
The centers do accept up to one cubic yard of construction debris. Concrete stays on the refused list, and loads from commercial waste haulers are not accepted.
Curbside bulky item collection refuses it too. Its unaccepted list names concrete, construction or demolition material, and soil and rocks.
Free Landfill Day is open to City of San Antonio solid waste fee rate payers. Its unaccepted list includes construction materials and waste, brick and dirt. EPA lists concrete among construction and demolition materials, so a torn-out patio does not fit that day either.
What are your options for disposing of old concrete in San Antonio?
Outside the city programs, the choices are a landfill, a recycler, a junk removal service or reuse on site.
| Route | Broken concrete? | Access and cost |
|---|---|---|
| City bulky waste collection centers | Refused | Residential customers only; free with the city’s environmental fee |
| City curbside bulky collection | Refused | Twice a year on the city’s schedule |
| Free Landfill Day | Construction waste refused | City solid waste fee rate payers; free |
| Landfill with a Type I or Type IV unit | Taken as construction and demolition waste | $90 to $160 per ton, per a national guide |
| Concrete recycler | Taken; plain concrete is the easier load | Ask about recycling programs with lower rates |
| Junk removal service | Typically taken | Priced by the bed load, usually half a cubic yard minimum |
| Reuse on your site | Fill, subbase or driveway bedding | No dump fee |
Call any facility before you load. Ask whether it takes concrete with rebar and how it charges for a load.
Which landfills take concrete in Texas?
Texas sorts landfill units by type. TCEQ says Type IV units take only brush, construction and demolition waste, and rubbish. Type I units take all kinds of municipal solid waste, and one landfill can hold both types.
Broken concrete is construction and demolition waste, so it fits either kind of unit. Fees follow local landfill policies, and a national cost guide puts them at $90 to $160 per ton. Because dump fees run by the ton, weight drives the bill.
Does recycling concrete cost less than a landfill?
It can be. One national cost guide suggests asking about concrete recycling programs that offer lower rates. A second guide lists whether recycling is available nearby among the things that set the cost of removal.
Plain concrete is the easier load. Reinforced concrete is less likely to be recycled, so it has higher disposal costs, the second guide says.
EPA says asphalt, concrete and rubble are often recycled into aggregate or new asphalt and concrete products. Before you haul a load, EPA also suggests asking a recycler whether it complies with state and local regulations.
Some concrete never has to leave. EPA notes that brick, concrete and masonry can be recycled on site as fill, subbase material or driveway bedding.
How much does your broken concrete weigh?
Weight sets the dump fee and decides what can carry the load. An EPA reference on concrete batching puts a typical cubic yard at 4,024 pounds, about 2 tons.
To find cubic yards, multiply the square feet by the thickness in feet, then divide by 27. At 4 inches thick, one cubic yard covers about 81 square feet.
Take a 12 by 20 foot patio at 4 inches. That is 80 cubic feet, about 3 cubic yards, or close to 6 tons. At $90 to $160 a ton, the dump fee alone would run about $540 to $950.
Broken pieces take up more room than the slab did, but they weigh the same. Half a cubic yard is about a ton, so check your truck’s payload rating before you load it.
How do you dispose of concrete yourself?
Doing it yourself means breaking it, loading it, hauling it and paying the dump fee. One national guide puts do-it-yourself disposal of 2 tons, truck rental and dump fees included, at around $550. That figure leaves out equipment.
Cover the load before you drive. The city’s Free Landfill Day guidelines say a tarp over the load is required by city ordinance.
A junk removal service is the middle route. These services typically accept concrete and price it by the bed load, a national cost guide says. For heavy debris like concrete, many base the price on volume, up to 1 foot high in a full truck. Rates usually start at a minimum load of half a cubic yard.
Is it illegal to dump concrete in Texas?
Texas law makes it an offense to dispose of solid waste anywhere but an approved solid waste site. That includes public or private property, a right-of-way and land within 300 feet of a public highway.
The penalty climbs with weight. Dumping 1,000 pounds or more is a state jail felony. That is about a quarter cubic yard of concrete, or a 4 by 5 foot piece of 4-inch slab.
The offense also covers unauthorized disposal in a dumpster or similar receptacle. If you pay someone to haul it, ask where the load is going.
The statute describes a safeguard: the hauler’s signed statement, before pickup, that the load will be disposed of legally. It includes the hauler’s Texas driver’s license number. This is education about the law, not legal advice.
When does it make sense to hire concrete removal?
A few broken pieces fit a do-it-yourself run. Hiring the work out makes more sense when:
- The slab is still in the ground and has to be broken first.
- It has rebar, which makes it harder to cut and less likely to be recycled.
- It is a driveway, a large patio or a pool deck that runs to several tons.
- It is a builder’s job, and the city centers take residential customers only.
A concrete haul off is part of every concrete removal job we do. We break slabs with excavators and demolition attachments and load the pieces into our dump trucks. The load leaves the same way as any dump truck hauling job. If a building is coming down with its slab, the concrete is part of demolition.
For removal prices, see what concrete removal costs in Texas. Global Contractors is based at our yard in Pleasanton, south of San Antonio. We work across San Antonio and about 50 miles around the city.
We look at the concrete first, then put a free estimate in writing. See our concrete removal page, or call (253) 606-9497.