What You Need to Know about Clean Fill and Certified Clean Fill Dirt
Fill dirt refers to the material that is used to level a site before land is put to use (for construction, for example). Your contractor may have told you that you will need to level your yard before it is paved and you are now wondering what "clean fill dirt" and "certified fill dirt" mean. Read on and learn the most important information that you need to know about those concepts.
Clean Fill Dirt
Fill dirt refers to a number of earthy materials like gravel and subsoil that you can use to remove a depression or void in the ground. Clean fill dirt is therefore earthy material that is environmentally safe. For instance, it does not contain contaminants like asbestos or flammable substances.
Where does this fill dirt come from? Construction activities generate lots of fill dirt. For instance, someone may be excavating a foundation for a building. That excavated material has to be dumped somewhere (such as a landfill) or be reused by another person who needs it to level a surface.
You can access fill dirt by posting a sign on your property advertising the fact that you want fill dirt. A contractor trying to get rid of the excavated material on his or her site will contact you so that the dump trucks deliver the unwanted material on his or her site to yours. You will agree on the terms of getting that fill material (such as footing the transport cost for delivering the fill material). You can confirm that the fill material is clean by taking samples to environmental authorities for testing.
Certified Clean Fill Dirt
Some people may form companies whose role is to collect, test and sell fill material to those who need it. Such companies may (or may not) be supervised by the environmental bodies in the area. The advantage of getting fill material from such companies is that they save you from the hassles of having the different tests done on any fill material you get before it is used. The downside is that the fill material may be more expensive than the material you obtain without that certification.
The decision regarding where you source your clean fill material may entirely hinge on the options available to you in your locality. For instance, municipal regulations may restrict you to buying clean fill from authorized providers of the material, so the option of buying it directly from a contractor may be off the table. Research the possibilities open to you in your area and choose the one that meets your needs.
For more information, contact a local fill dirt supplier like Eastern Plant Hire.