Craigslist Fill Dirt - What to look out for?

[HawkinsHollow]

I need some fill dirt for various projects. I put an ad on Craigslist and finally got a bite. What kinds of things should I be wary of in accepting fill dirt and gravel off of craigslist? Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[PILOON]

Contaminated soil would be my first concern and next on the list is boulders or big stones and then roots and tree stumps.

Have a friend that accepted many fill loads and it was a constant battle as the excavation trade always tried to sneak unacceptable material.
The environment even got involved and one contractor was court ordered to retrieve the asphalt and concrete they had sneaked in buried under acceptable fill.

Oddly crushed concrete is acceptable as a topping for drive but taboo in fill as it is claimed that it will leech into the water table. Same is claimed for asphalt.
Stumps and wood create sink holes as they decay over time.

 

[HawkinsHollow]

Contaminated soil would be my first concern and next on the list is boulders or big stones and then roots and tree stumps.

Have a friend that accepted many fill loads and it was a constant battle as the excavation trade always tried to sneak unacceptable material.
The environment even got involved and one contractor was court ordered to retrieve the asphalt and concrete they had sneaked in buried under acceptable fill.

Oddly crushed concrete is acceptable as a topping for drive but taboo in fill as it is claimed that it will leech into the water table. Same is claimed for asphalt.
Stumps and wood create sink holes as they decay over time.

Yeah, contamination would be my first concern as well. The area it is coming from has long been an industrial area. So I am little wary about that. Is it acceptable to go out to the site and take a look at where it is coming from? What about asking the contractor to sign off that to the best of their knowledge the soil is not contaminated? I doubt it is legal to be slinging contaminated soil around and I would say if they are digging it out they know whether or not it is contaminated.

 

[TractorGuy]

My advice is to find someone selling cean fill and buy it.

There was an ad for free fill dirt on CL that had a number to call. The ad said to leave a message with your number, location, use, etc. I fell for it and got my phone number spoofed AND spammed. Started searching and found 30 or so copies of the same ad all over the southeast.

I was able to use a CL notification link I found to report them and got rid of a bunch but they kept reposting. I think they finally got shut down.

 

[EddieWalker]

There was a time when I wanted clean fill dirt. I talked to a few dirt contractors that I know and they told me to be very careful on who I allowed to dump anything on my land. Then one of them took me for a drive to look at a few places that he knew of where fill was being dumped, and it was all mixed up pavement, rebar and construction debris. The landowner was going to hire my friend to bring his equipment there and haul off the "free" dirt.

If you cannot watch every load, do not trust anybody.

I would also go so far as to demand to know where the fill is coming from before giving out your address to them.

There is reason it's free.

 

[HawkinsHollow]

There was a time when I wanted clean fill dirt. I talked to a few dirt contractors that I know and they told me to be very careful on who I allowed to dump anything on my land. Then one of them took me for a drive to look at a few places that he knew of where fill was being dumped, and it was all mixed up pavement, rebar and construction debris. The landowner was going to hire my friend to bring his equipment there and haul off the "free" dirt.

If you cannot watch every load, do not trust anybody.

I would also go so far as to demand to know where the fill is coming from before giving out your address to them.

There is reason it's free.

I hear ya! I am a school teacher so I was planning on having it dumped only when I was there like in a few weeks while I am on spring break or over summer break. I don't want random people on my land without me there AND I want to make sure they aren't giving me crappy dirt.

I am also grilling the guy a bit about where the dirt is coming from exactly and asking him if I can come take a look where it is coming from. He told me they are getting this dirt and gravel out of trenches that they are having to redo some pipe work or something to that effect.
Thanks for your reply!

 

[crashz]

Don't do it! I work for a remediation company and removal of contaminated soils is something we do (as well as dispose at our own facilities and other things). The soil you receive may have things that you can identify (roots/compost, asphalt, brick, concrete, debris, etc) and you can usually smell petroleum impacted soils. But there are many contaminates (PCBs, lead, arsenic, etc) that you cannot readily detect by sight or smell. And most urban fill has something nasty in it.

At the end of the day, the contractor that dumps something nasty on your property may not have any responsibility and you will be held responsible. Get some nice clean sand delivered from a material yard. Most big commercial quarries or yards have to be able to submit clean certifications to the state and big clients.

 

[RNeumann]

Yeah, contamination would be my first concern as well. The area it is coming from has long been an industrial area. So I am little wary about that. Is it acceptable to go out to the site and take a look at where it is coming from? What about asking the contractor to sign off that to the best of their knowledge the soil is not contaminated? I doubt it is legal to be slinging contaminated soil around and I would say if they are digging it out they know whether or not it is contaminated.

Definitely visit the site. With hazmat possession is 9/10 the law. Odds are it’s fine soil (people and contractors are generally honest) but doing your do diligence would be wise. The fact you are asking us is a huge red flag......free isn’t always free.

 

[rangerfredbob]

Someone at my place got fill dirt long before I bought it and I've found all sorts of stuff scattered around... chunks of concrete, asphalt, large rocks, a couple shoes, hose clamps, hose, a sink faucet, two inline 6 copper head gaskets...

 

[300UGUY]

I didn’t know such a thing existed. I’ve seen signs up for years, “free fill wanted “. With no results. I talked to a contractor, he told me he doesn’t give anything away for free. If he is going to haul it, he’s gonna get paid for it.