Rates are UK national (non-London): central London and constrained urban sites typically run dearer — adjust the labour, plant and access lines in the build-up accordingly.
Muck-away / disposal to tip
per m³ · load-out & dispose
£51 – £81 / m³
What is it
The disposal (muck-away) of already-excavated arisings off site to a licensed inert tip — a 13–20 t tracked 360° excavator and banksman loading the stockpiled spoil to grab lorries, which haul and tip it, priced per in-situ (bank) m³ of excavated material. The dig itself is measured and priced separately (the excavation rates); this is the cart-away those rates exclude. The disposal is the bulk of the cost, and the spoil TYPE sets it — loose spoil bulks as it is dug, and the tip is paid on the loose (carted) volume, in three bands:
Granular / sandy — bulks least (~12%), the least to cart.
Common earth — a typical mixed spoil (~25% bulking); the default rate.
Clay / wet — bulks most (~40%) and is heaviest, the most to cart.
Rate range by spoil type
Granular / sandy£51 – £65 / m³
Common earth£56 – £72 / m³
Clay / wet£62 – £81 / m³
Budget rate per m³.
3 key cost drivers
Spoil type & bulking
The grab-lorry disposal is around 95% of the rate, and the tip is paid on the LOOSE (carted) volume. Excavated spoil bulks as it is dug — sandy ~12%, common earth ~25%, clay/wet up to ~40% — so a wetter, heavier spoil carts a larger loose volume per in-situ m³ and lifts the rate.
Disposal method & haul
Inert soil to a licensed tip is the default. Grab-lorry all-in prices carry the haul and tipping; a longer haul to the tip, small loads, or London & the South East (+15–20%) raise the disposal price. Contaminated or mixed spoil is dearer and priced separately.
Location
London and the South East typically add around 20% to labour and plant.
Estimator
Budget rate generator
£56 – £72 / m³
Covers loading arisings to lorries, grab-lorry haul & tip fees, and O&P, per in-situ m³ · inert spoil, excl. the dig, prelims & VAT
Exclusions
The excavation / dig itself — measured and priced separately (the reduced-level & trench excavation rates, which exclude this cart-away)
Site dumper & forward haul / on-site distribution of arisings to the loading point (an attendance, in main-contractor prelims)
Disposal of CONTAMINATED or hazardous spoil — classified soils, Japanese knotweed & special waste (dearer, separately priced)
Weighbridge / tip tickets beyond a standard inert consignment, & any soil testing or WAC classification
Imported fill or backfill to replace the removed material