Document And Entity Information	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2011	Aug. 10, 2011 Common Class B [Member]	Aug. 10, 2011 Common Class A [Member]
Entity Registrant Name	AVALON HOLDINGS CORP
Document Type	10-Q
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		612,293	3,191,038
Amendment Flag	false
Entity Central Index Key	0001061069
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Filer Category	Smaller Reporting Company
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	No
Document Period End Date	Jun. 30, 2011
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2011
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q2