Muck Waste Skips

Soil can go in a normal 4,6 or 8 yard general waste skip, but a muck skip is the cheaper option for soil on its own. If the soil is mixed with bricks or concrete, choose an inert waste skip instead.

Muck is the trade term for soil and other natural material dug out of the ground. It covers topsoil, subsoil, clay, sand and the stones mixed through them, usually from digging footings, foundations or ponds, or levelling a garden. Rubble, green waste and general rubbish are not muck. Soil from land with a history of industrial use may be contaminated and need testing before disposal.

Most soil jobs suit a 6 yard muck skip, which holds about 4.5 cubic metres. An 8 yard muck skip holds about 6 cubic metres and is the largest size allowed for soil, because of its weight. Soil bulks up by roughly a quarter once dug, so a hole 3m by 3m and 40cm deep will fill a 6 yard skip. For more than two skips’ worth, a lorry collection is usually more economical.

Muck is always priced per lorry load and quoted for each job. The cost depends on:

• The type of soil, as clean natural soil is cheapest and mixed or contaminated soil costs more
• How many loads you need
• The distance to the nearest recycling or disposal site
• Whether the lorry needs a grab to load itself

One lorry load typically carries as much soil as two to three 6 yard skips.

Muck away is soil removal by lorry. A tipper or grab lorry arrives, is loaded on the spot and takes the soil away the same day, leaving nothing on site. A muck skip is dropped off and left for you to fill at your own pace. Muck away suits groundworks where a digger is loading large volumes, and a skip suits smaller jobs dug by hand.

Clay and damp soil can go in a muck skip, but the load must be firm enough to dig with a spade. Liquid mud and slurry cannot be accepted, and wet soil is much heavier, so take care not to overfill. Small amounts of turf are usually fine. Large quantities of turf, roots, tree stumps or plants belong in a garden waste skip, because green waste in a muck load can lead to an extra charge.

A grab lorry is the better choice when you have more soil than one or two skips can take, or no space for a skip. Mick George grab lorries carry up to 16 tonnes and load themselves with a crane arm, so you don’t need a digger on site. Nothing is left on the road, which also means no skip permit. The arm can reach over walls and fences where access is difficult.

Yes. soil you get rid of counts as waste, and dumping it on land without a permit is fly-tipping, a criminal offense across the UK. it can lead to an unlimited fine and up to five years in prison. You must also check that anyone taking your soil away is a registered waste carrier, because householders can be fined if their waste is fly-tipped. Mick George is a fully licensed waste carrier.