If you’ve recently finished a huge construction job or have dug up your garden, you may find a lot of dirt you don’t know what to do with.
Ideally, the dirt may be reused or recycled, but if it has been combined with other materials, it may have to be disposed of in a landfill.
Your local garbage agency may be able to tell you if your area participates in a soil recycling program.
If not, consider placing an ad online, or donating your soil to a local plant nursery or landscaping business.
How to Dispose of Dirt?
Method 1: Soil Recycling
Contact Your City’s Waste Management Department to Locate a Recycling Site
Almost all local governments have a separate facility for recycling organic or paving waste. Call your local garbage management company using the information you may find online.
Ask whether they have a separate recycling facility for your soil. Ask if they have any recommendations about how you should pack the dirt.
Depending on where you reside, whether or not the soil is considered mixed is a matter of local environmental rules.
Recycling facilities that operate in an uncontrolled environment are limited to visual inspections of the soil. Soil that has been contaminated by any toxic chemicals, pesticides, or pollutants is mixed.
Find out how to dispose of this garbage by contacting your local authorities. Most of the time, the material has to be destroyed at a specialized facility for hazardous waste.
Have the Dirt Tested if You Reside in a State Where Soil Testing Is Mandatory
You may need to analyze soil at a lab before dropping it off in areas with strict environmental rules or delicate ecosystems.
Depending on where you reside, you may be required to transport or ship a small sample of soil to a laboratory for analysis.
When you bring your soil for testing, the facility will either clear it for recycling or explain why your government’s waste management agency can’t accept it.
The government will often repurpose reclaimed dirt for public works projects. They will reject it no matter how clean or pure it may appear.
Take Your Dirt to the Plant in a Bag or Truck Bed
Load your dirt into sturdy plastic or cloth bags and drive it to a recycling center once you’ve been given the all-clear.
Another option is to load your dirt directly into the bed of a truck if you have one available.
Soil should be taken to the recycling plant and dropped off as instructed by the clerk. A fee may be charged to recycle at some facilities.
The amount you must pay depends on the volume of soil you recycle. However, smaller cargoes may only cost $100, while larger ones may cost up to $1,000 or more.
Turn the Soil Dirt into Compost if You Don’t Have Much of It
Composting is the process of allowing organic wastes to decompose organically, often in a garden. Make a pile in your yard or a bucket to compost your soil.
Pile everything from branches to grass to food scraps to coffee grounds in the pile or container.
Eventually, the soil in your garden will decompose into a black sand-like substance that may be buried or utilized as fertilizer!
It would be best to keep your compost pile or bucket slightly wet for this method to operate. Mist the compost with water if there is a dry period to keep it wet.
A compost pile might take up to two months to entirely decompose.
Method 2: Give Away soil
Put an Ad on the Internet to Give Away the Dirt for Free
A few folks may be interested in utilizing your dirt for a garden or compost pile.
Put up an ad on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace with a photo of the dirt and an accurate description of what it is.
For gardeners, it’s important to know where your soil originates from so they can use it accordingly.
Once someone reaches out to you and asks for your soil, tell them your address and let them come and pick it up.
Soil type is significant since gardeners are likely seeking certain soils for specific plants, and you should include this information.
Free Dirt Is a Great Place to List Vast Quantities of Dirt for Free Distribution
You might want to check out Free Dirt’s website if you need to get rid of a lot of dirt. It’s free to use and comes with the option to monetize your dirt.
You can identify the soil type and quantity in your area with your ZIP code.
Coordinate a customer’s pick-up via the website once they’ve contacted you. There are so many other individuals selling dirt on the site that it’s likely you’ll be able to find a customer.
If you’re giving away a lot of dirt, the quality of your soil is critical. A cubic foot of dirt weighs 75 pounds or 75 pounds per cubic meter.
For interested parties to decide if the soil meets their requirements, provide an estimate of its weight.
A Nursery or Landscaping Firm Might Use the Dirt
Contact local plant nurseries, landscapers, or construction businesses if no one in your neighborhood is willing to take your dirt.
Ask everyone you speak to if their firm is interested in your soil.
They’re eager to buy a lot of dirt to augment their business because they deal with a lot of it. This is unlikely to work if you only have a little amount of soil.
Typically, these businesses will not waste their time on a minor amount of dirt.
Issues Concerning the Disposal of Dirt
Identification of the Type of the Dirt
Dirt isn’t the same everywhere. Other materials, such as insulation, concrete, or vehicle fluids, may be included in the demolition dirt.
Compostable landscape soil may contain food waste.
Finding out what kind of dirt you’re dealing with might help you figure out the best strategy to get rid of it. Your options for removal are similarly narrowed.
If you come across historic residential houses with underground gasoline storage tanks, you’ll need to use this strategy. Tank cracks allow gasoline oil to seep into the earth nearby.
While adhering to all federal disposal rules, this soil pollution necessitates specific expertise. There are usually treatment facilities for the polluted soil.
There are two types of fill: clean fill and non-cleared fill.
You can find eco-friendly construction materials in clean fill soil. This list comprises soil, dirt, brick, concrete, sand, cement, and gravel.
Toxic compounds are not present in clean construction soil, which may be reused or recycled.
Contaminated soils and household debris are common components of non-clean fill construction dirt, including plastics, glass, metals, fiberglass, and cardboard. We can’t use the soil for anything.
Estimate the Amount of Dirt to Be Disposed Of
Dirt is heavier than it appears to be. While a small amount may be readily grasped in one hand, its weight changes depending on whether it is dry or wet.
When extracted, wet soil weighs around 3,000 lbs. per cubic yard. Soil may weigh up to 2,100 lbs. per cubic yard if it is dry, loose, or compacted.
You may use the weight to evaluate if you should use a dumpster or pay a local company to transport it away.
Disposal Options for Dirt
It’s much easier to decide where to dump waste dirt after you know its composition and volume from your DIY project.
The additional soil that landscaping businesses collect is used for other purposes.
Organic or food waste or yard trash may also qualify as acceptable material. Compost heaps are made for landscaping projects by these firms.
Pay for Building Contractors or a Landscaping Firm
Construction contractors can also take extra soil in most areas. They savor the opportunity to get their hands on free soil!
Filling ditches and muddy regions are a common use for this product.
Loose soil, clay, and boulders can all be found in the dirt. Donations of dirt are gratefully accepted by construction and demolition firms, provided that the donor covers the hauling expenses.
Clean fill sites allow building businesses to use clean fill soil as needed.
Take the Excess Dirt to the Recycling Center
You may recycle dirt at some locations. They may be able to recycle soil and concrete from demolition projects.
Contaminated dirt is generally not accepted at these facilities.
Another alternative is a landfill. Hazardous soils, like recyclables, cannot be disposed of in landfills.
What You Shouldn’t Do with Excessive Dirt
Never Dump Excess Soil Illegally
Avoid secretly dumping dirt on your neighbor’s lawn or landscaping. There is a possibility that you will be charged with illegal dumping.
Contact your local government to inquire about particular rules and regulations. Don’t ever throw dirt on non-deposit-worthy public property.
Keep in mind that dumping dirt in parks might add contaminants to already-clean land or water.
Dumping may also expose you to dirt that contains construction debris like metals or glass, so be aware of this possibility.
Dirt is a dangerous place for both adults and children.
Keep It Separate from Other Things
Keep pesticides out of the mix while you’re transporting clean dirt. You might choose this option to reduce the number of visits to the dump.
Keep the dirt clean; you’ll have more alternatives for disposal than if you combine it with less eco-friendly items.
Wrapping Up
Free dirt disposal options abound, as seen above. You can use any highway to dispose of extra dirt, rock, rubbish, or mixed fill. Start by contacting local construction and landscaping businesses.
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