How To Dispose Of Landscaping Rocks

Get rid of unwanted landscaping rocks by offering them to people you know, salvage yards or potentially even a landscaper. Advertise the rocks in free, local print and online publications and social media sites, or on a local reuse and recycling website.

Tell your neighbors and friends who do their own landscaping that you are getting rid of the rocks. If you are familiar with their yards, mention areas in them where you think the stones may look good. Ask friends and neighbors if they know of anyone who needs rocks for projects, such as a backyard pond. Your social media account(s) may be another good source for getting the word out.

Some charity salvage shops, such as Habitat for Humanity's ReStore locations, accept useful landscaping materials. If your rocks have aesthetic beauty or could be used to build a wall or to create a garden path, then such a shop may be interested in them. Contact a nearby ReStore facility to ensure it accepts such materials. You may have to deliver the stones yourself if you donate them to a charity shop.

List your unwanted landscaping rocks in a local, free weekly newspaper, website forum or classified advertisement website. If your community has a trading or freecycling group, offer the stones to its interested parties. Mention as much information as possible about the stones, as well as your general location.

Contact a landscaping company in your area if you have a large quantity of rocks, if you have rare or ornamental stones or if you have large, boulder-style rocks that need to be moved by machinery. You may be able to get the rocks removed for free; a landscaper may even buy the rocks from you if they would be expensive to purchase elsewhere.

If you have a lot of rocks to give away but they are still in place, dirty and partially buried amid tree roots and weeds, you're less likely to find a party interested them than if they were separated, out of the ground and clean. If possible, clean or at least separate and pile the stones in an area where they can be easily picked up by someone.

• Describe the stones as accurately as possible if you list them in a classified ad or online.
• Mention the approximate quantity of landscaping rocks you have so other people will know whether or not the rocks are worth their while.
• Include pictures of the rocks with your listing.
• Make it as simple as possible for an interested party to pick up the rocks. For example, pile them in a wheelbarrow, or stack them atop a pallet.

If you are unable to find a taker for the landscaping rocks and you simply want to dispose of them, then contact your area's waste-management department to find out the proper, legal disposal procedure. Locations and procedures vary by location and the rock's weight, quantity and usefulness. Some websites offer a list of companies that may accept rocks as waste.