Published
Sorted, it is $80 a ton. Stubborn, it is $240 — and the truck still has to be empty by closing time
The scale house decides what it costs
Demolition budgets usually carry the excavator line and the dumpster line — and then meet the real one: Fremont County prices demolition debris by how well it is sorted, and the spread between sorted and stubborn is a factor of three. The county publishes the tiers without decoration:
“Properly sorted load will be $80.00 per ton. Mixed load into transfer station will be $120.00 per ton. Unsorted load – Refusal to sort will be $240.00 per ton and may be refused.”
— Fremont County landfill operating policy, fremontcountyidaho.gov. Retrieved 23 September 2026
Sorting at the scale house is not an option: employees will not do it for you, mixed loads are billed at the highest per-pound category present in them, and the end of that road is a load the county can simply refuse. The sorting happens on your ground, with your machine, while the pile is still separated by material.
Two landfills, and the clock that governs both
- Island Park Landfill — 3970 Yale Kilgore Road, (208) 390-1226. Tuesday–Saturday, 7:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M.
- St. Anthony Landfill — 716 N 2400 East, (208) 417-9296. Tuesday–Saturday, 8:00 A.M. to 5:30 P.M.
- Both close Sunday and Monday, and the county says it plainly: if you cannot be unloaded and checked out by closing time, you will be turned away. Unloaded — not parked in line.
- Every vehicle enters and exits through the scale building. The scale is the cash register; nothing goes around it.
For an Island Park project, that 7:00 A.M. Island Park open is the whole plan some days — the haul from the caldera to St. Anthony is a half-day round trip with a truck that burns fuel by the hour.
The small charges that are not small
- $3 minimum per entry — and it is charged per entry, so five small trips are five minimums.
- $20 fee for any uncovered load in transport.
- Credit cards cost 2.6% more; bills over $50 have not been accepted since April 2019.
- The $160/ton swing between a sorted load and a refusal-to-sort load is the single largest controllable number in a demolition budget.
What counts as demolition debris
The county’s definition of construction and demolition waste is a list, and it is broader than most people guess: bricks, concrete and other masonry, roofing materials, soil, rock, wood and wood products, wall covering, plaster, drywall, plumbing fixtures, and electrical wiring and components containing no hazardous materials. Two conditions do most of the excluding:
- Concrete has its own tipping area — broken to no larger than 2×2 feet and clean of all other debris, or it is not concrete, it is mixed.
- Everything household — furniture, carpet and pad, appliances, styrofoam, cardboard — is a different waste stream with a different gate, even when it came out of the building you just dropped.
What the scale house will refuse outright
- Railroad ties — creosote, full stop.
- Burnt material and ash — which is exactly what a demolished structure often becomes after a bad idea with a match. Tearing it down is cheaper than burning it down.
- Asbestos, hazardous and biomedical waste, herbicides and pesticides, tires, drums, and loose insulation.
And the gate that applies to big jobs: large demolition projects require an asbestos-free certification or proof of proper abatement, plus prior approval from the landfill supervisor, before the first truck delivers anything. That paperwork lead time belongs in the schedule weeks before the excavator swings.
The seasonal extras
Clean green waste has its own destination: the Meadow Creek Slash Pit, open Wednesday through Saturday, 10:00 to 3:00 — and closing for the season on October 10, 2026. Recycling, meanwhile, is free only before the scales and only for clean, separated material; plastics and cardboard have both been dropped from the county’s program, so “recyclable” on a jobsite label means nothing at the gate.
Run the disposal like a phase, not an afterthought
- Sort on the site into the county’s categories — concrete, mixed C&D, metal, household — while the pile is still three piles.
- Break concrete to 2×2 feet or smaller before loading it.
- Cover every load. It is a $20 line item per trip otherwise.
- Plan arrival with an hour of margin before close — unloaded and checked out, or turned away.
- For a structure demolition, order the asbestos certification and call the supervisor before the work starts: (208) 417-9296.
- Then put the tons, the tiers, and the haul against the bid: (208) 932-1140.
Disposal is the tail end of the same project that starts with site prep and the grading permit, runs through the ground work — and, where a borrow pit was involved, ends with a reclamation plan of its own. The tons you haul are also a line in what excavation actually costs in Island Park, priced before the first load turns a wheel.
Common questions
Where does demolition debris go in Fremont County?
To one of two county landfills: Island Park Landfill on Yale Kilgore Road (Tuesday-Saturday, 7:00 to 4:30, (208) 390-1226) or St. Anthony Landfill on N 2400 East (Tuesday-Saturday, 8:00 to 5:30, (208) 417-9296). Both are closed Sunday and Monday, and every load enters through the scale building.
How much does it cost to dump demolition debris?
Properly sorted demolition loads are $80 per ton; mixed loads into the transfer station are $120 per ton; a load you refuse to sort is $240 per ton and may be refused entirely. There is a $3 minimum per entry, a $20 fee for uncovered loads, and a 2.6% surcharge on credit cards.
What happens if my load is mixed?
Mixed or unsorted category loads are billed at the highest per-pound category present anywhere in the load - and landfill employees will not sort it for you. The refusal-to-sort tier at $240 per ton is the ceiling, and the county can decline the load outright.
Does concrete have special rules?
Yes. Concrete goes to a separate, dedicated tipping area, must be broken down to pieces no larger than 2 feet by 2 feet, and must be clean of all other debris - otherwise it counts as mixed.
Can I dump railroad ties or burnt material?
No. Railroad ties are prohibited because of creosote, and no burnt materials or ash are accepted. Asbestos, tires, drums, appliances and loose insulation are also refused - burning a structure before demolition turns cheap debris into material nobody will take.
What does a large demolition project need before delivery?
Prior approval from the landfill supervisor plus an asbestos-free certification or proof of proper abatement, arranged before the first load is delivered. On an old building, the asbestos survey is the schedule's long pole, not the teardown.
When does Meadow Creek Slash Pit close?
It operates Wednesday through Saturday, 10:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M., and closes for the season on October 10, 2026. Green waste after that date waits for spring or goes into the paid stream.
Is recycling free at the landfill?
Clean, separated recyclables can be offloaded in the recycle building before the scales at no charge. Plastics and cardboard are no longer recycled by the county, so those belong in the regular waste - the free lane is narrower than it used to be.