Sarasota Landfill, Dump & Recycling — Hours, Fees & What They Take
Sarasota County runs one landfill, out on Knights Trail Road in Nokomis, and there's a quirk there that costs people money every week: bring your yard waste in plastic bags and you'll be charged a $15 minimum garbage fee for the bags alone — on top of the tipping fee for the clippings. The site is also in the middle of a major rebuild through summer 2027, so the drive in isn't what it was. Here's what to know before you go.
One site, several operations: a scale house, a Citizens' Convenience Center (4010 Knights Trail Road), a C&D recycling facility, and yard waste, tire and white goods areas. Only waste generated in Sarasota County is accepted. Bring a government-issued photo ID (not electronic) and wear closed-toe shoes. Cash, card or Apple Pay, no checks at the gate. Cards carry a 2.45% surcharge. Closed New Year's Day, July 4, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
The landfill and the C&D operation keep the same hours, so a mixed load doesn't need two trips — but see the plastic bag rule below before you load yard waste.
Bring a driver's license, tax bill or utility bill showing a county address. Open Monday through Saturday. Also takes electronics, car batteries, fluorescent bulbs, gasoline and used motor oil. No pharmaceuticals or firearms.
Residential drop-off: car, SUV or minivan $5; pickup (no trailer) $23 under 1,000 lbs
Garbage $48.24 a ton ($24.12 minimum); construction debris $68.17 a ton ($34.08 minimum)
Yard waste and appliances $46.14 a ton; tires $173.04 a ton
Household hazardous waste and electronics: free for Manatee County residents
Mixed or uncovered loads pay double; loads from outside Manatee County pay triple
Won't take: Car parts and vehicles.
Fees effective Oct. 1, 2026. Closed New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Just north of Sarasota County, off State Road 64 a mile east of I-75. Cash, check or card.
The Knights Trail Road complex runs Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Saturday 8:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Closed Sunday.
That Saturday close at 1:30 p.m. comes early. A Sarasota Saturday load needs an early start, and with the construction work on site it needs a bit more margin than it used to.
Both Chemical Collection Centers, Bee Ridge Road and Venice, run Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The plastic bag fee — the local trap
This is the rule that catches Sarasota residents more than any other, and it's worth understanding before you fill the truck.
If you bring yard waste to the landfill in plastic bags, you have to empty every bag yourself at the site and put the empty bags into a designated waste container. The bags then count as garbage — and a minimum garbage fee of $15.00 is charged for disposing of them, separately from whatever the yard waste itself costs.
So a trailer of palm fronds you bagged up on Saturday morning costs you the yard-waste tipping fee, plus $15 for the bags, plus the twenty minutes of standing at the tipping face emptying them.
The fix is free: bring yard waste loose, or in paper yard-waste bags that can be composted with the clippings. Either way the $15 charge never applies. If you've already bagged everything in plastic, it's worth tipping it into the truck bed loose before you leave home.
The landfill is being rebuilt — through summer 2027
A major improvement project at the Central County complex began on August 20, 2026 and is expected to continue through summer 2027. The work adds an inbound lane and scale, an outbound lane, a bypass exit lane and new internal roadways. That's good news eventually and a nuisance now. The facility stays open throughout.
What it means in practice: traffic patterns on site will change as the work moves, lines at the scale house are more likely, and the route you took last month may not be the route this month. With a Saturday close of 1:30 p.m. and an active construction zone between the gate and the tipping face, arriving at 1:00 p.m. with a full trailer is optimistic.
Call (941) 861-5000 before a big load to check current access.
What it costs to dump in Sarasota
Sarasota County charges by the ton, by material, at the Knights Trail scale house. Current rates (effective October 1, 2024):
Material
Rate
Minimum
Garbage (solid waste)
$60.85/ton
$15.00
Construction & demolition debris
$59.91/ton
$19.77
Yard trash
$47.43/ton
$13.00
Scrap metal & white goods
$60.85/ton
$15.00
Passenger tires (up to 5)
$3.62 each
—
Tires by weight
$290.61/ton
—
Unseparated waste (e.g. garbage mixed with yard trash or C&D)
Double the garbage rate
—
Rates may rise October 1. The County proposed new rates for a September 8 commission vote: garbage $63.45/ton ($16.50 minimum), C&D $61.55, yard trash $49.35 ($15 minimum), and passenger tires $5 each. Check the County's landfill page for the adopted figures.
Separate your load. Mixing garbage with yard trash or construction debris makes the whole load “unseparated,” charged at double the garbage rate. Sorting in the driveway is cheaper than sorting at the gate. Pulling yard trash out also drops it to $47.43.
Household chemicals are free for county residents at either Chemical Collection Center, with proof of residency.
Haul it yourself, or hire junk removal? — Sarasota
With a single county gate 15–20 miles from downtown Sarasota, an early Saturday close and active construction on site, the drive is a real part of the cost here:
Haul it yourself — cheapest by a long way if you have a vehicle and can lift it. The gate rates above are the whole cost.
Junk-removal crew — they carry it out and haul it off. The usual call for seasonal turnovers, estate clearances and anything heavy, and it sidesteps the bag rule and the construction delays entirely.
Find a drop-off near you
Enter your ZIP or city for the nearest disposal sites across Sarasota, Manatee and southwest Florida.
The Central County Solid Waste Disposal Complex, 4000 Knights Trail Road, Nokomis, is open Mon–Fri 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Saturday 8:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., closed Sunday. The landfill and C&D operations keep the same hours.
Can I bring yard waste in plastic bags?
You can bring it, but you must empty the bags yourself on site and put them in a designated container — and a $15.00 minimum garbage fee is charged for the bags, on top of the yard-waste tipping fee. Bring it loose or in paper bags and the charge never applies.
Where do I take paint and household chemicals in Sarasota?
Either Chemical Collection Center: north at 8750 Bee Ridge Road or south at 250 S. Jackson Road, Venice. Both are open Monday–Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free for county residents with a driver's license, tax bill or utility bill. They also take electronics.
Is the Sarasota County landfill under construction?
Yes — a major improvement project started August 20, 2026 and runs through summer 2027, adding inbound and outbound lanes and new internal roadways. Expect changed traffic patterns and allow extra time, especially on Saturdays.
How much does it cost to dump in Sarasota?
Garbage is $60.85 a ton with a $15 minimum, construction debris $59.91 ($19.77 minimum) and yard trash $47.43 ($13 minimum). Mixed loads are charged double. New rates were proposed for October 1. Household chemicals are free for residents, and plastic bags brought with yard waste cost $15.
Which drop-off is open on Saturday?
The landfill and Citizens' Convenience Center (until 1:30 p.m.) and both Chemical Collection Centers, Bee Ridge Road and Venice (until 4 p.m.).
What are the Lena Road Landfill hours and fees?
Manatee County’s Lena Road Landfill, 3333 Lena Road in Bradenton, is open Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. A car, SUV or minivan pays a $5 flat rate at the residential drop-off and a pickup $23 under 1,000 pounds. Loads from outside Manatee County are charged triple.
