Muck-Away Services for Soil, Spoil and Rubble
Single loads or a full programme of muck-away by grab lorry or tipper, arranged through licensed hauliers near your site.
- Licensed suppliers across England, Scotland and Wales
- Waste paperwork provided with every job
- Free, no-obligation quotes
Muck-away is the removal of excavated soil, clay, rubble and other spoil from a site by lorry. Waste Cloud arranges muck-away across England, Scotland and Wales using eight-wheel grab lorries and tippers from licensed hauliers in our network. Whether you have one heap from a garden dig or hundreds of tonnes coming out of a basement or road scheme, we coordinate the vehicles and the tipping.
The right vehicle depends on how the spoil is being loaded. A grab lorry loads itself from a stockpile, while a tipper is loaded directly by your excavator as it digs. Either way, the material goes to an authorised facility with the correct waste paperwork.
Send us your postcode, the material, an estimate of volume and how it will be loaded. Call 0333 121 1056 or request a quote online.
What muck-away covers
Muck-away is a core part of groundworks and enabling works. Typical jobs include:
- Spoil from foundations, footings and strip-outs
- Excavation for basements, swimming pools and drainage
- Site levelling and reduced-dig works
- Soil and rubble from landscaping and driveway construction
- Break-out of concrete slabs and hardstandings
- Spoil from utility trenches and civil engineering schemes
Grab lorry or tipper muck-away?
Choose a grab lorry when the spoil is stockpiled and ready to go, or when it sits behind a wall or fence that a tipper could not reach. The lorry lifts the material itself, so no machine or operator is needed on your side.
Choose an 8-wheel tipper when an excavator is already digging. The machine loads straight into the tipper body, so there is no double handling, and a run of tippers can keep a dig moving all day. Tippers usually carry slightly more than grab lorries because they have no crane on board.
A skip remains better for small volumes produced gradually, or for mixed waste – see construction skip hire.
Planning your loads
Soil takes up more space once dug than it did in the ground, because it loosens as it is excavated. When estimating loads, allow for this bulking and for the fact that wet clay is heavier than dry topsoil. If you can give us the dimensions of the dig, the supplier can help estimate the number of loads.
For larger programmes, regular loads can be scheduled through WastePrime so lorries arrive at agreed times, keeping the site moving and avoiding queues at the gate. Booking a road sweeper alongside muck-away helps keep the public road clean.
Soil classification and acceptance
Clean, natural soil and stone is the simplest material for receiving sites to accept. Spoil mixed with general waste, timber or plastics may need to be handled as mixed waste, and soil from former industrial land or near fuel tanks may need testing before a facility will take it. Hazardous soils are moved under consignment notes in England and Wales, and as special waste in Scotland.
Keeping loads clean and telling us early about any doubts over the ground helps avoid delays and rejected loads. Every load is carried by a registered waste carrier with a waste transfer note.
Grab hire, tipper hire and skip hire compared
- Grab hire – the lorry arrives, loads the material itself with its hydraulic arm and leaves. Best for a heap of soil, rubble or hardcore that is ready to go, especially where it is behind a wall or fence.
- Tipper hire – the lorry has no arm, so it must be loaded by an excavator or loading shovel on site. Best for continuous excavation where a machine is already digging.
- Skip hire – a container stays on site and is filled over days or weeks. Best for waste produced gradually, mixed waste and smaller volumes.
More detail on grab lorries is available at Waste Cloud’s specialist site, Nationwide Grab Hire.
Typical muck-away materials
- Topsoil and subsoil
- Clay
- Rubble, bricks and blocks
- Stone and hardcore
- Broken concrete
- Mixed inert excavation spoil
Needs separate arrangement
- Asbestos or soil containing asbestos
- Contaminated or hazardous soils without assessment
- Plasterboard and gypsum products
- General, packaging or mixed waste in soil loads
- Liquids, slurries and oils
- Invasive weed-contaminated soil
Not sure? See our waste types guide or ask us when you book.
Used by
- Groundwork companies
- Building contractors
- Demolition contractors
- Civil engineering and utilities projects
- Housebuilders
- Landscaping firms
Muck-Away Services – your questions answered
Can’t see your question? Call 0333 121 1056 or send us a message.
What is the difference between muck-away and grab hire?
Muck-away describes the job – removing spoil from site. Grab hire is one way of doing it; an excavator loading a tipper is the other common method.
How many loads will I need?
It depends on the volume dug, the type of soil and how much it bulks up once excavated. Share the dig dimensions and the supplier can help estimate loads.
Can contaminated soil be removed?
Yes, but it usually needs testing and classification first, and must go to a facility authorised for that waste. Tell us about any concerns before booking.
Can you arrange muck-away over several weeks?
Yes. We can schedule regular loads for the length of the groundworks phase, subject to supplier availability.
How do I get a muck-away quote?
Call 0333 121 1056 or use the quote form with your postcode, material, estimated volume and loading method.
Often booked with Muck-Away Services
Need more than one service for the same project? Add them to one enquiry and we’ll coordinate them together.
Get a free, no-obligation quote
Tell us the site postcode, what you need and when – add as many services as the project needs. Photos, site plans or data sheets help us price accurately.
NationwideSkipHire.com is operated by Waste Cloud Ltd. Services are carried out by licensed suppliers in our network across England, Scotland and Wales.