How do I get rid of soil and rubble?
For a few bags, take it to your local tip if it accepts DIY rubble. For anything more, hire a 2, 4 or 6 yard skip and fill it level, or book a grab lorry for big loads that can be piled up and lifted in one go.
- A few bags: the tip, but many councils limit or charge for rubble and soil
- Up to about 6 cubic yards: a skip filled level, from around £155 for a 2 yard mini
- Big piles or no room for a skip: a grab lorry, from around £270 for 8 tonnes
- Soil and rubble weigh well over a tonne per cubic yard, so never heap a skip
- Clean soil or clean hardcore is often cheaper to get rid of than a mixed load
Need a skip? Call for a price and to book.
- Prices up frontGuide prices for every size
- Permit rulesWhat your council charges
- LicensedRegistered waste carriers
- LocalCompanies near you deliver
Why soil and rubble are different
Most household waste fills a skip by volume. Soil and rubble fill it by weight. Dry soil weighs roughly a tonne or a little more per cubic yard, wet clay soil and broken concrete more again. A skip full to the brim with it can be heavier than the lorry is allowed to lift.
That changes every option. Council tips limit how much you can bring. Vans and man and van services struggle with the weight, and many won’t take it. Skip companies cap the size you can fill with it and insist the load is level with the sides.
So the first question isn’t which skip. It’s how much you have, how clean it is, and where it can be loaded from.
Your options, smallest to biggest
- The tipFor a few bags of DIY rubble, if your council accepts it. Often limited per visit, and sometimes charged by the bag.
- 2 yard mini skipFor a small border, a few square metres of paving or a short wall. Around £155.
- 4 or 6 yard skipFor a patio, a garden dig or a knock-through. Around £260 and £320, filled level.
- Grab lorryFor big piles, deep dig-outs or no room for a skip. Around £270 for 8 tonnes, £360 for 16 tonnes.
Taking it to the tip
Household waste recycling centres treat rubble and soil as DIY or construction waste, not household rubbish, so the rules are tighter than for a bag of clothes or an old chair. Many councils limit you to a few bags per visit or a set number per month. Many charge per bag or per item. Some don’t take soil at all, and some need a van permit if you arrive in anything bigger than a car.
Check your council’s rules before you load up. Turning up with a car full of rubble and being sent away is a wasted afternoon.
The tip works out well for a few bags from a small job. It stops making sense when you’re looking at more than a few car loads. Each trip costs fuel and time, rubble sacks split, and the weight is hard on a car’s suspension. At that point a mini skip is usually cheaper and quicker.
Which skip for soil and rubble
Sizes and typical prices for heavy waste. Most skip companies cap heavy loads at 6 yards, filled level with the sides.
| Skip | Size (L × W × H) | Good for | Typical price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 yard mini | 1.5 × 1.2 × 0.9m | A small border, a few slabs, a short wall | Around £155 |
| 4 yard midi | 2.1 × 1.5 × 0.9m | A small patio, a garden dig, a fireplace | Around £260 |
| 6 yard builders | 3.0 × 1.5 × 1.2m | A large patio, a knock-through, a driveway | Around £320 |
| 8 yard large | 3.7 × 1.7 × 1.2m | Some companies only, with a weight limit | Ask first |
| 12 yard maxi | 3.7 × 1.8 × 1.8m | Not for soil or rubble | Not suitable |
Guide prices, ex VAT. Dimensions are typical outside measurements. A road permit, if you need one, is extra.
Why the skip must be filled level
A skip lorry lifts the skip on chains. The lorry and its lifting arm have a safe working weight, and a heavy skip heaped above its sides can go over it. A load above the sides can also shed lumps on the road while it’s being carried. Either way, the driver can refuse to lift it, and you’ll be asked to take material out or pay for a wasted trip.
Filled level means nothing above the top edge of the skip at any point. With soil and rubble, that skip will already be very heavy. If you have more than one skip’s worth, book a second skip or a swap rather than squeezing it in.
If the skip has to go on the road, the company applies for a council permit for you. Councils charge from £15 to over £250, with a typical fee of around £80 for two weeks. A 2 or 4 yard skip usually fits on a drive, which avoids the permit.
Clean soil and hardcore versus mixed loads
Clean soil, with no rubble, roots, turf or rubbish in it, can often be reused as fill or restoration material. Clean hardcore, meaning brick, concrete, block and stone with nothing else mixed in, can be crushed and reused as aggregate. Because they’re easier to deal with, many skip companies charge less for a skip of one clean material than for a mixed load. Ask when you book.
Mixed loads cost more because they have to be sorted. Soil with turf and roots in it, rubble with plasterboard, timber or plastic mixed through, or anything with general rubbish on top all count as mixed. Plasterboard in particular must be kept separate, because by law it can’t go to landfill with other waste.
If you have both soil and rubble, it can pay to keep them apart. Dig the soil into one pile and break the hardcore into another, then load them into separate skips or loads.
Grab lorries and bulk bags
A grab lorry carries a hydraulic arm with a bucket on the end. It reaches about 6 metres from where it parks, so you can pile soil and rubble on your drive or front garden and have it lifted in one visit. Nothing sits on the road, so there’s no skip permit. An 8 tonne grab is typically around £270 and a 16 tonne grab around £360.
A grab often beats skips when you’re digging out a large area, like a driveway or a garden being levelled, or when there’s nowhere to put a skip. It needs clear access with no low cables, trees or walls between the lorry and the pile.
Bulk bags, the one tonne builders bags that sand and gravel come in, are another option for small amounts. Some companies collect filled bags with a crane or grab. Check the weight limit before you fill one, because a bag full of wet soil can be too heavy to lift.
How to work out what you need
- 1Measure itLength times width times depth of what you’re digging out, in metres. One cubic metre is about 1.3 cubic yards.
- 2Allow for bulkingDug soil and broken rubble take up more room than they did in the ground. Add a third or more.
- 3Check how clean it isOne clean material may be cheaper. Mixed loads usually cost more.
- 4Pick the routeA few bags to the tip, up to about 6 yards in a skip, more than that in a grab.
- 5Load it levelHeavy lumps at the bottom, soil to fill the gaps, nothing above the sides.
Soil and rubble questions
- Can I put soil and rubble in a 12 yard skip?
- No. A 12 yard maxi is built for light, bulky waste. Full of soil or rubble it would be far too heavy to lift.
- Can a man and van take rubble?
- Some will take a small amount, but rubble is heavy for a van and many charge more for it or don’t take it at all. A mini skip is usually the better fit.
- Can I give away soil and hardcore?
- Often, yes. Clean topsoil and clean hardcore are both useful to other people, and local listings can find someone to collect it. Mixed or contaminated material is harder to give away.
- Does the tip charge for rubble?
- Many councils charge for DIY waste like rubble and soil, or limit how much you can bring. Check your council’s rules before you go.
- How heavy is a full builders skip of rubble?
- Several tonnes. That’s why it has to be filled level, and why most companies won’t let you fill a bigger skip with heavy waste.
Related guides and tools
- Skip for garden landscapingSoil, turf and green waste
- Skip for a patio or deckingSlabs, hardcore and timber
- Skip for driveway removalTarmac, blocks and concrete
- Grab hireSoil and rubble lifted from your drive
- Skip or man and van?Which costs less for your job
- What can’t go in a skipThe items that need another route
Need to shift soil or rubble?
Call for a price and to book.