A grab lorry is a tipper lorry with a hydraulic arm and bucket on the back. It parks on the road, lifts the waste straight off your drive or garden, and drives away. No skip sitting outside for days, and usually no permit needed.
When a grab lorry is the right choice
- Digging out for foundations, an extension, a driveway or a patio
- Muck away: soil, clay and spoil from landscaping or groundworks
- Rubble and hardcore from knocking down walls, garages or sheds
- Big garden clear-outs with turf, soil and heavy waste
- Any job with more heavy waste than a skip can hold
How much does grab hire cost?
Grab hire is priced per load, not per day. As a rough guide:
| Load size | Typical price |
|---|---|
| Up to 4 tonnes | £150 to £200 |
| 5 to 8 tonnes | £220 to £300 |
| 9 to 12 tonnes | £320 to £400 |
| 13 to 16 tonnes (a full 8-wheeler) | £450 to £500 |
London and the South East are often more expensive. Quotes from companies in the same area can differ by £50 to £100 a load, which is why it pays to compare.
What changes the price
- Weight. Soil, wet clay and concrete are heavy, so the lorry can hit its weight limit before it looks full
- Type of waste. Clean soil or rubble on its own is usually cheaper to dispose of than mixed waste
- Number of loads. Some companies price multi-load jobs lower per load
- Waiting time. If the waste isn't ready to load, you may pay extra
- Your area. Tip costs and travel distance vary around the UK
Grab lorry vs skip
| Grab lorry | Skip | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Large amounts of heavy waste | Smaller jobs, filled over several days |
| Loading | The lorry's arm loads it for you | You fill it by hand or wheelbarrow |
| Road permit | Usually not needed | Needed if the skip goes on the road |
| On site | Just while it loads | Days or weeks |
For more than about 6 to 8 tonnes of heavy waste, a grab lorry is usually cheaper than several skip exchanges.
Before the lorry arrives
- Pile the waste as close to the road as you can. The arm typically reaches around 4 to 6 metres
- Check overhead for power and phone cables or trees near the pile
- Keep it clean. Don't mix soil and rubble with general rubbish, wood or plastic unless the company says it's fine
- Keep the road clear where the lorry will park
- Ask for a waste transfer note, so you have proof your waste went to a licensed site
A note on asbestos
Grab lorries cannot take asbestos or other hazardous waste. If you think old roofing, boards or pipes might contain asbestos, don't break them up. Get advice from a specialist asbestos company first.
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