Common Reasons Dirt Disposal Costs Rise

When you’re landscaping, building, or doing any project that requires digging up a

lot of dirt, eventually you’ve got to get rid of it. It’s one of the more frustrating parts

of any project – without even going into the actual costs of dirt disposal!

Eventually, though, you have to deal with those costs. And if you have handled a

number of these types of projects over the past several years, you may have noticed

that the price for the disposal of dirt can change from project to project – why? And

why has the cost of dirt disposal risen over the past few years? There’s no simple answer, but we’ve got some the reasons why:

More Houses and Less Land = More Dirt Being Removed

To build a house, builders like to remove about 3 feet of dirt and soil in terms of

depth. To build a house with a basement, they have to remove even more.

In the past, dirt could be moved or dispersed around to level out the surrounding

area. But as more houses are being built and less nearby land is available to

developers, there are fewer places for dirt to be dispersed.

Less land that is appealing to builders and developers is available as well. Rather

than choosing an area that is already level, developers may have to build on sloping

land. This will require even more dirt to be removed so the area can be level.

More Regulations on Dirt Disposal

Environmental agencies have made it harder to just dispose of dirt wherever you

see fit. As we discover that more building materials may be hazardous (such as

lead), we’ve also learned that the surrounding dirt may have been affected by those

materials.

If you are building near an area where lead or other hazardous materials may be

present, environmental agencies want to know about it and prevent it from being

spread to neighboring houses. State and federal regulations vary, but definitely

provide roadblocks in trying to cheaply or casually dispose of dirt.

Fewer Landfills to Use

In the past, you could easily send unwanted dirt to a landfill. It’s not so easy

nowadays, since fewer landfills accept dirt from construction or landscaping

projects.

Some landfills completely refuse to take dirt, while others have composition

requirements (too much grass or too many roots will increase the cost of disposal

dramatically).

Dirt Disposal Alternatives

All of the above factors have contributed to the simple principal of supply and

demand, which explains why simply disposing of dirt has become increasingly

expensive. To sum it up: there are fewer places to dispose of dirt, so dirt disposal

costs have skyrocketed. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

One of the most frustrating parts of dirt disposal is knowing that somewhere, a

construction project is trying to get their hands on the dirt you’re trying to get rid of.

There are ways to find construction companies and other agents who could benefit

from the dirt you have to dispose. To learn how, contact DirtMatch today.