Table Of Contents

What Constitutes Clean Fill Soil?

In our daily interactions with residential areas, construction projects, and other civil projects, we encounter what is referred to as clean fill or what constitutes clean fill. What then is clean fill soil?

Clean fill soil refers to the waste materials that can be recycled, reused, or modified for future use, especially for construction purposes. Clean fill soil is composed of cement, dirt, gravel, topsoil, brick, rubble, and sand. These materials making up clean fill soil must be free from contaminants and friendly to the environment, hence the term ‘clean’ in clean fill soil.

The Australian Government has put forward regulations to ensure that the materials making up clean fill soil are friendly to animals, people, and the environment in general. Due to these regulations, biological or organic waste does not constitute clean fill soil. Such non-clean fill materials include:

• Metal

• Fiberglass

• Glass

• Paper

• Cardboard

• Rubber

• Tyres

• Batteries

• Electronics

• Combustible materials

• Radioactive materials

• Noxious materials

• Toxic materials

• Materials containing chemicals

• Contaminated soil

Can Clean Fill Be Unclean?

Is it possible for clean fill soil to be unclean? The simple answer is yes. Under some circumstances, the classification and reporting of excavated natural materials or virgin excavated natural materials is marred by errors. Similarly, these two processes may be done in the proper manner, but the contractors accidentally and unknowingly pick up contaminants along the way.

Such accidents will most probably contaminate the materials, thus making the clean fill soil unclean. So, what is the effect of clean fill soil that is unclean? Project heads or businesses that use clean fill soil for commercial purposes suffer most of the risk of contaminated clean fill soil.

The primary risk is closing down a business or suffering bankruptcy, especially when caught by the arms of the law. Similarly, it is very costly to dispose of contaminated clean-fill soil.

How To Avoid The Risk Of Unclean Clean Fill

Although unclean clean fill has various risks, there is no need to panic. There are effective ways to avoid the dangers of unclean clean fill soil as follows:

• The first step involves reviewing the excavated natural materials and virgin excavated materials report by a consultant to ensure that the reports were filed and completed properly and correctly. During the reviews, you can rectify any errors identified before the clean fill is supplied.

• The second step involves the inspection of the site from which the clean fill materials came. This is done to ascertain whether the clean fill excavated meets the excavated natural materials and virgin excavated natural materials classifications as indicated in the reports.

• The final step involves the inspection of the clean fill soil by site contractors and environment contractors available at the fill sites where the clean fill soil is transported from the construction sites. This group of persons is responsible for confirming whether the clean fill soil delivered is similar to the one indicated in the reports. They also inspect the clean fill soil to ensure that it is free from contaminants.

Why Is It Important To Make Clean Fill Soil?

The process of making clean fill soil is environment friendly, ensuring that the environment is not polluted through waste disposal in landfills. Therefore, this process sees to it that waste materials are utilised through a process such as recycling.

Although people can make clean fill soil at personal levels, some bodies and companies specialise in the making of clean fill soil. These bodies or companies operate a process known as the Clean Fill Disposal.

What Is Clean Fill Disposal?

Clean fill disposal refers to the process of collecting and recycling or reusing waste materials from construction sites instead of dumping them in landfills. Clean fill disposal experts are involved in removing topsoil, concrete, cement, sand, gravel, dirt, etc., from construction waste, hydro excavation, or civil projects and transporting them in lorries to other project sites. These materials, which form the clean fill soil, are designed for different purposes in these project sites.

What Is Clean Fill Soil Used For?

The primary aim of clean fill disposal is to collect clean fill materials for recycling, reusing, or modification for other purposes. What then is clean fill soil specifically used for? To begin with, the first primary use of clean fill soil is to level ground. Clean fill soil is used to fill depressions or holes on the ground to make the ground level.

Processes such as quarrying or the creation of temporary dams are highly likely to leave depressions on the ground. To create a topographical balance on the ground, you can use clean fill soil to fill these depressions. You can also use clean fill soil to increase or change the elevation grade on the site. As mentioned earlier, different materials make up clean fill soil. These materials have different physical and chemical properties.

When combined with other materials in various elevation sites, these materials can successfully improve the grade of the said site. Similarly, you can use the materials making up clean fill soil to change the grade of a site. Due to their chemical constituents, the materials making up clean fill soil have the ability to lower the pH levels of a different location, thus changing its grade.

Additionally, clean fill soil is considered one of the best alternatives to traditional fill. The primary reason behind this perception is that clean fill soil is composed of non-contaminant and environmentally friendly materials. Clean fill soil thus becomes one of the most effective ways of preserving the environment.

Proper Waste Removal

Generally, clean fill soil is primarily used by engineers, traders, potters, artists, weekend warriors, etc. It is also a budget-friendly way of DIY waste recycling. To ensure all types of soils are disposed of properly, it is always best to work with a skip bin hire company that will ensure that certain waste materials are recycled or turned into clean fill soil. These companies have the prerequisite knowledge and skills to remove your waste safely.