Excess mud

Helen.briggs89

Hello,

i have recently bought a new build house and didn’t get the turf included in the price so the garden was just all mud. It’s on a slant so I have dug out the bottom bit to make it flat where I can eventually put a patio down but now I have a huge mound of mud and I’m not sure how to get rid of it. It’s not usable elsewhere in the garden as it is full of stones/bricks/glass I even found a roof tile in it you name it’s in there. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get rid of it without having to hire a skip? Can I purchase heavy duty bags from somewhere and take it to the skip possibly? 

fidgetbones

Assuming you have council wheely bins, I would slide a bucketfull in the middle of each bin.  Sieve it , because the finer soil you can use in the garden, even if only for filling tubs. You have probably dug down to subsoil, which is not good for growing stuff. Sieved soil could be used in a raised bed  or planter.

Fire

Welcome, Helen. I generally take my clay to the local dump, but mine is really close and it's quite easy. I agree that, if you can be bothered, it would be worth sieving the earth to save the good topsoil, which you are bound to want at some point. It's expensive to buy. The best thing for moving soil are old compost bags. I save mine up and reuse them. They are fantastic. I don't know if you have friends with those kind of things.

It would be good to see a pic. If you have dug out at the bottom of a slope, be a tad careful about drainage and slippage and things.

Pauline 7

We can take,  what they call builder's rubble to the council tip. I have taken plenty when doing my garden.  They will only accept a maximum of 5 bags at a time though,  and you have to empty out the bags.  They have a bin for the empty bags,  but I take them back home for the next lot, if they are not too bad. 

Fire

I think each dump is different. I take dozens of bags of clay to mine and they are fine with letting the bags go in, but that's because they put clay in general waste, not garden waste by me. It's too tricky to re-process.

Helen.briggs89

Aw thank you for your replies 😊. I’m no where near the local tip but I don’t mind the drive so I think I will do that. My dad might have friends who has those bags or knows where to get them from. I will try and sieve it as I will need the good stuff for other things I’m sure. 

Helen.briggs89

I’m not sure how to upload a photo but I will try! 

Fire

You could try getting old builders bags from a merchant. Or this type of thing. (Used)

Remember to go small. The bags are v heavy when full. I usually fill a compost bag by a third only. They are great to re-use after, if you can.

KT53

Don't overload each bag, and just as important don't overload the car either.  Soil and rubble is heavy so check each bag as you fill it to make sure you can lift it comfortably. 

Helen.briggs89

Thank you I will do  

fidgetbones

If you separate out the lumpy stuff, half bricks, tiles etc, you could advertise free on gumtree. Hard core free for collection.  It is possible that someone local is building a patio and needs hardcore.