Guide · 6 min read · updated 2026-09-17
Concrete, dirt and rock disposal: why clean loads are nearly free and mixed loads are not
Which gates take concrete and dirt, what clean versus mixed loads cost, why most landfills refuse large soil loads, and how much a trailer can legally carry.
The short answer
Concrete, brick, rock and dirt are the one category where sorting pays more than anything else you can do.
- Kiefer Landfill takes clean inerts — concrete, asphalt, tile, brick, rock and stucco no larger than 36 inches, with no rebar, dirt or trash — at no fee (effective 2026-01-01). Mixed inerts are $28.45 a ton (effective 2026-01-01). Ordinary trash there is $61.35 a ton (effective 2026-01-01).
- Gilton in Modesto takes a clean concrete trailer load at no fee (effective 2026-07-01) and mixed inerts at $35 a ton (effective 2026-07-01).
- North County Landfill takes only small pickup loads of soil or gravel. Large concrete is billed as hard-to-handle at $123.97 a ton (effective 2026-01-01).
Weight is the other half of the problem. Household junk runs about 150 to 250 pounds per cubic yard; concrete and dirt weigh many times that, and most trailers and pickups run out of legal payload long before they run out of space.
Why concrete prices by weight, not volume
Most junk removal is priced by how much of the trailer it fills, because household junk is light for its size. Concrete, dirt, roofing, tile and brick are the exception: they cube out light and weigh heavy. A trailer that is a quarter full of broken patio can already be at its weight limit.
That is why our price book carries a heavy-debris line of $95 per ton over the first ton for concrete, dirt, roofing, tile and brick. A company that quotes those materials by volume is either going to lose money or change the price in your driveway.
Our trailer is a 7x14 dump trailer with a 9,990 lb GVWR and a rated payload of 7,000 lbs. Every heavy load is planned around that number, not around how full the box looks.
What each gate takes and charges
Figures are from each operator's posted sheet with the date the rate took effect.
| Gate | Clean concrete / inerts | Mixed inerts | Dirt and soil |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kiefer Landfill, Sloughhouse | no fee (effective 2026-01-01) — asphalt, tile, brick, rock, stucco or concrete no larger than 36 inches, no rebar, no dirt, no trash | $28.45 a ton (effective 2026-01-01) — no larger than 36 inches, minimal rebar and dirt, no trash | $11.60 a ton (effective 2026-01-01), certified clean and pre-approved |
| Gilton Resource Recovery, Modesto | Clean concrete trailer load: no fee (effective 2026-07-01) | $35 a ton (effective 2026-07-01) (concrete, dirt, stucco, brick, rock, asphalt) | Included in mixed inerts |
| North County Landfill, Lodi | Large concrete is hard-to-handle: $123.97 a ton (effective 2026-01-01) | Weighed rate applies | Small pickup loads only; large loads refused |
| Lovelace Transfer Station, Manteca | Small loads only | Small loads only | Large loads of concrete, soil, rock, gravel or asphalt refused |
The sorting math
Take a small patio tear-out in south Sacramento County: two tons of broken concrete.
- Sorted clean — no rebar, pieces under 36 inches, no dirt or trash mixed in — it qualifies for Kiefer's clean inerts line: no fee (effective 2026-01-01).
- With dirt and some rebar it is mixed inerts: two tons at $28.45 a ton (effective 2026-01-01).
- With trash thrown in it is ordinary refuse at $61.35 a ton (effective 2026-01-01), or worse. Kiefer lists rock and concrete chunks larger than three feet, or concrete with excessive rebar, as hard-to-handle at $144.90 a ton (effective 2026-01-01).
Same concrete, four different prices, decided by what else went in the load. Keep a separate pile for the concrete from the first swing of the sledgehammer.
Why Lodi-area dirt is harder
Both San Joaquin County sheets draw a hard line on volume. North County accepts "small pickup loads of soil or gravel" and lists large loads of soil or gravel as unacceptable. Lovelace refuses large loads of concrete, soil, rocks, gravel or asphalt outright.
So a Lodi-area homeowner digging out a yard for a new patio does not have a cheap landfill answer for ten yards of dirt. The practical options are clean-fill reuse — a neighbor, a contractor or a farm that needs fill — or a recycler that takes inerts. Kiefer's certified clean soil rate requires pre-approval, so call before you haul.
If you are in Modesto, Gilton's mixed inert line includes dirt.
Loading it without breaking anything
- Break concrete to hand-carry size. Pieces under 36 inches meet Kiefer's clean-inerts rule and are easier on your back and your trailer floor.
- Load over the axle. Heavy material piled at the tail of a trailer lightens the tongue and makes the trailer sway at speed.
- Stop at the weight, not the rim. A trailer that looks half-empty with concrete in it may already be at its limit.
- Tarp it. At North County an uncovered load pays a double disposal fee; a chunk of concrete off a trailer on Highway 99 is worse.
If you are renting our trailer for concrete and dirt, tell us when you book. We plan the load and the gate around the weight so you do not end up with a trailer that cannot legally move.
What we charge, and when it is worth it
For small amounts — a few bags of broken pavers, a wheelbarrow of dirt — you do not need us. Bag it and take it with your next load.
Where we fit is the job with real weight: a patio or walkway tear-out, a demolished retaining wall, a garage slab section, or roofing tile from a re-roof. Those are construction debris removal jobs, or a dump trailer drop-off if your own crew is doing the demo. Either way, the heavy-debris line is published on the pricing page with a worked patio example, so you know the number before we arrive.
Drywall, roofing and tile
Concrete is not the only material that prices by weight. Our heavy-debris line covers concrete, dirt, roofing, tile and brick, all at $95 per ton over the first ton, because every one of them fills a trailer's weight limit long before its volume.
Roofing from a tear-off is heavy for its size, and a roof's worth is often more than one legal trailer load. Plan the load count before the crew starts, not when the trailer is full.
Tile and brick qualify as clean inerts at Kiefer when they are not mixed with trash, the same as concrete.
Drywall is lighter than concrete but still dense, and some gates price it on its own line. Gilton charges $40 a ton (effective 2026-07-01) for sheetrock, against $35 a ton (effective 2026-07-01) for mixed inerts.
If you are running a remodel, keep three piles: inerts, drywall and wood, and everything else. It is the single cheapest thing you can do on a demo job.
Which gate for which town
If you are self-hauling, where you are matters as much as what you are hauling.
- Towns routed to North County (Lodi, Stockton, Acampo, Lockeford, Woodbridge, Victor, Clements, Thornton, Linden and Morada): small soil loads only at the landfill; large concrete is hard-to-handle. Look for a reuse site for dirt.
- Towns routed to Kiefer (Galt, Elk Grove, Wilton, Herald, Rancho Murieta, Rancho Cordova, Folsom, Vineyard, Florin, Isleton, Courtland and Walnut Grove): the best inerts pricing in either county, if you sort.
- Towns routed to NARS (Sacramento, Citrus Heights, Carmichael, Fair Oaks, Orangevale, Antelope, North Highlands, Rio Linda, Elverta and Arden-Arcade): check the county's list of certified construction and demolition facilities before you haul inerts to a general transfer station.
- Modesto: Gilton's inert lines. The city's export-agreement rule is written to keep Modesto loads in Stanislaus County.
The full gate list with hours is in the 2026 gate guide.
Quick answers
Can I put concrete in my garbage cart? No. It is too heavy for the truck and not accepted as household trash.
Is asphalt the same as concrete? At Kiefer, yes: asphalt is on the clean inerts list with concrete, tile, brick, rock and stucco.
What about rebar? Cut it out if you can. Kiefer's clean inerts line requires no rebar, and "excessive rebar" moves a load to hard-to-handle.
Where are the gates? Hours and general rates for every gate in both counties are in where to dump in San Joaquin and Sacramento counties.
Related guides
Sources
Every fee above is read from the operator's own published sheet and shown with its effective date. Rates change; call the gate before you load a truck around a number.
- Sacramento County — Kiefer Landfill fees, effective 2026-01-01 — read 2026-09-17
- Gilton Resource Recovery price sheet, effective 2026-07-01 — read 2026-09-17
- San Joaquin County — North County Recycling Center & Sanitary Landfill price sheet, effective 2026-01-01 — read 2026-09-17
- San Joaquin County — Lovelace MRF & Transfer Station price sheet, effective 2026-01-01 — read 2026-09-17