Responsible waste disposal

What happens to the soil, rubble, and waste that gets dug out?

One of the most common questions I get asked is: what happens to all the soil, rubble, and roots once you’ve dug it out?

I’m not able to take waste away from site myself — I’m on the digger throughout the day and don’t have the capacity to remove material. But that doesn’t mean you’re left to figure it out on your own. I’m happy to advise on the best option for your job, and I’ve laid out all the main options below.

One important thing to be aware of: if waste is being removed from your property, it’s your legal responsibility to make sure it’s disposed of responsibly. Don’t be tempted to use a contractor who’ll take it away cheaply — fly-tipping is illegal and the liability can come back to you as the property owner.

Can any of it stay in the garden?

Quite often, yes — and it’s always worth thinking about this first, because it can save you money on skip hire or grab lorry costs.

Clean topsoil from garden clearance, pond digging, or turf stripping can often be spread into planting beds, used to level low spots elsewhere in the garden, or used to fill areas behind retaining walls. If you have more than you can use, spare soil also sells surprisingly well on Facebook Marketplace — people are always looking for it for raised beds and allotments.

The quality of that soil matters, though — and this is where my riddle and rake bucket comes in.

When you dig into most established gardens, you’ll find the soil is full of rubble, roots, stones, and general debris that’s built up over the years. In its raw state, that’s not great for replanting or returfing. But rather than digging it all out and sending it away, I can sieve it as I go using my riddle and rake bucket — which separates the rubbish from the usable topsoil in each bucketful, leaving you with clean, workable soil that’s genuinely worth keeping.

It’s one of those things that makes a real difference to the finished result, and it’s something you’d only get from an experienced operator who knows which bucket to use for which job. I wrote a blog post about the different buckets I use and why they matter — worth a read if you’re curious.

One thing to note: sieving works best when the soil is reasonably dry. If the ground is very wet and heavy, I’ll advise on the job whether it’s worth doing or whether it’s better to clear everything and start fresh.

Roots, rubble, concrete, and hardcore that can’t be reused will still need to go off site — the options for that are below.

How much waste will your job produce?

Working out roughly how much material will come out of the ground helps you choose the right skip size — and avoid the frustrating (and expensive) situation of running out of space halfway through.

You don’t need to be precise. A rough estimate is fine. The following information is a guide only, of course – it’s your responsibility to ensure you choose the right option for you.

Step 1: Measure the area

Measure the length and width of the area to be dug, in metres. Multiply them together to get the area in square metres.

Example: a driveway 4 metres wide × 6 metres long = 24 square metres

Step 2: Add the depth

Decide how deep the digging will go. Here are typical depths for common jobs as a rough guide:

Convert your depth to metres (so 300mm = 0.3m, 600mm = 0.6m, etc.) and multiply it by your area.

Example: 24 square metres × 0.3m depth = 7.2 cubic metres of excavation

Step 3: Account for bulking

Here’s the part most people miss. When soil, clay, or rubble is dug out and loosened, it takes up significantly more space than it did in the ground. This is called the bulking factor, and it means you’ll almost always have more spoil to deal with than a simple calculation suggests.

As a rule of thumb, add around 25–30% to your figure to account for this. If you’re digging clay-heavy soil or breaking up concrete, add closer to 40%.

Example: 7.2 cubic metres × 1.3 (30% bulking) = roughly 9.4 cubic metres of loose spoil

Step 4: Choose your removal option

Now you have a volume, you can match it to the right option:

A standard 6-yard skip holds around 4.5 cubic metres of loose spoil. A grab lorry typically takes 8–10 cubic metres per load, and the arm can reach over fences so there’s no wheelbarrowing needed.

If in doubt, go one size bigger. An undersized skip that needs a second collection will cost more than just ordering the right size in the first place.

A worked example

Back garden, turf stripped and soil excavated to 200mm depth for new lawn:

• Area: 5m × 8m = 40 square metres
• Depth: 0.2m
• Raw volume: 40 × 0.2 = 8 cubic metres
• With 25% bulking: 8 × 1.25 = 10 cubic metres
• Best option: grab lorry, or two large skips

Concrete and hardcore

Broken concrete and hardcore bulk out even more than soil — typically 35–40% — and many skip companies charge extra for it because it’s heavy and needs specialist disposal. Always mention it when getting a quote so there are no surprises.

If there’s a large volume of concrete (a full shed base or driveway, for example), a grab lorry is usually the most cost-effective option.

Local grab lorry companies you could use:

• Acorn Transport & Plant Hire — based in St Neots, covers Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, and Hertfordshire. Skip hire and grab lorry. 01480 811377
• Cardinalis — grab hire and muck away across Cambridgeshire, including Cambridge, Huntingdon, St Neots, and Peterborough. 01954 288027
• Covill Skips — skip and grab hire across Cambridgeshire. 01223 826148

Tip: Book before the job date so the lorry is ready to collect as soon as I’ve finished. I’ll pile the spoil somewhere the arm can reach.

Things to know:

• Skips placed on a public road need a permit from your local council — your skip company can usually arrange this
• Always mention if you have heavy material like concrete or hardcore when getting a quote, as some companies charge extra for inert waste
• Order before the job date and make sure the skip is in position when I arrive

Local companies:

• Acorn Transport & Plant Hire — St Neots. 01480 811377
• Bedford Budget Skips — covers St Neots and surrounding areas
• Jack Poulton & Sons — skip bags and skip hire across Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, and Cambridgeshire. 01763 273932

Option 3: Hippo bags (skip bags)

Hippo bags are flexible, lower-cost bags that you fill at your own pace and arrange to have collected once full. They’re a good option for smaller jobs or where a full skip won’t fit on the drive.

Best for: Smaller quantities of waste, or where drive space is limited.

Things to know:

• Available to buy at most B&Q and Wickes stores, or order online at hippowaste.co.uk
• Collection is arranged separately once the bag is full
• Not suitable for very heavy material in large quantities — for a full day’s digging, a grab lorry or skip is usually better value
• Jack Poulton & Sons collects HIPPO bags across Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, and Cambridgeshire — 01763 273932

Get in touch

Not sure which option is right for your job? Just ask when you get in touch and I’ll point you in the right direction based on what the job involves. After 40 years of garden work I’ve seen most scenarios, and it usually takes 30 seconds to work out the best approach.