Muck Away in Manchester

A crew and digger standing idle with nowhere left to put spoil – that, rather than the load itself, is where muck away really costs you. On larger digs we can line up a run of lorries across the day so the machine never stops, with each one loaded by grab from a stockpile or directly by your excavator.

On a smaller job, one visit from a grab lorry will clear a finished pile. Some contractors on longer projects opt for grab lorry day hire instead, where you pay for the driver and vehicle and not per load. Give us a rough idea of how much you are digging and over what period, and we will recommend the most efficient approach.

Much of Manchester sits on heavy clay, often with stone and fill left by older buildings, so the spoil tends to be dense and weighty. Jobs we regularly arrange muck away for include:

• Service and drainage trenches
• Strip footings and foundations for house extensions
• Reduced-level digs for patios and driveways
• Groundworks on commercial units and new-build plots
• Cellar and lower-ground works in older houses in Didsbury and Chorlton

Where a dig throws up a lot of brick or broken slab, setting it aside and booking hardcore removal for that part can work out cheaper.

Once excavated spoil leaves your site it is controlled waste. Every load therefore travels under the duty of care, with a waste transfer note that describes the material. Hold on to these for at least two years – clients and main contractors increasingly want to see them at handover.

Natural, clean spoil is frequently recovered or reused instead of going to landfill. Should the ground show signs of ash, oil, odour or former industrial use, stop digging and tell us, as it may need testing and could be classed as hazardous waste.