Site clearance in Leeds: what the phrase covers, and which part we do
"Site clearance" means three different jobs depending on who is asking, and the right firm is different for each. On a build site it means taking away the waste that piles up as the work goes on. On an empty plot it means clearing the rubbish, old sheds, fencing and fly-tipped waste before anything starts. On overgrown land it means cutting back vegetation, taking out trees and stripping topsoil, which is machine work. Kruze does the first two, by hand, with a two-person crew and a van, priced by weight from £45 for 50kg. We do not hire out plant or operators, we do not demolish buildings, and we do not take trees or Japanese knotweed. Where one of those is your job, the table below says who to call instead, because sending you the wrong firm wastes a week.
Which kind of site clearance do you need?
| The job | What it involves | Who normally does it | Our part |
|---|
| Waste clearance during a build | Rubble, offcuts, plasterboard, packaging and general waste, cleared in phases | A licensed waste carrier, a skip or a grab lorry | Yes, on call or on a schedule |
| Pre-start plot clearance | Rubbish, old sheds and outbuildings, fencing, loose hardcore, fly-tipped waste | A licensed waste carrier with a labour crew | Yes |
| End of build clear out | The last of the waste, spare materials and packaging before handover | A licensed waste carrier | Yes |
| Vegetation, trees and scrub | Cutting back, felling, grubbing out roots, chipping | A landscaper, tree surgeon or groundworker | We take the cut green waste away afterwards |
| Machine clearance and topsoil strip | Excavator and dumper work, levelling the ground | A groundworks contractor, or plant hire with an operator | No plant hire. Big volumes of spoil suit a grab lorry |
| Demolition | Taking the structure itself down | A demolition contractor | No. We do soft strip clearance only |
| Japanese knotweed | Treatment, and removal of contaminated soil to a permitted site | A knotweed specialist | No |
This split is our own summary of how the work is usually divided in West Yorkshire, as at September 2026. The legal points in the next table are sourced line by line.
Four checks before the first load leaves a plot
Clearing an empty plot looks like the simplest job on this page. It is also the one where people get caught out, because the problems are hidden in the hedge, the roof sheets or the pile somebody else dumped there.
| Check | What the law or official guidance says | Source |
|---|
| Nesting birds | It is an offence to intentionally take, damage or destroy the nest of any wild bird while that nest is in use or being built | Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, section 1 |
| Japanese knotweed | You do not have to remove it unless it is causing a nuisance, but you can be prosecuted for causing it to spread into the wild. Off site it must go to a landfill or incineration facility with the correct permit, by a registered carrier, covered in the vehicle | GOV.UK, stop Japanese knotweed spreading |
| Asbestos | If a building was built or refurbished before 2000, assume asbestos may be present | HSE, find out if asbestos could be present |
| Fly-tipped waste on your land | You decide how to deal with it and pay for it to be disposed of properly. You could be fined up to £200 if you do not | GOV.UK, report fly-tipping |
All four sources checked 24 September 2026.
Birds. Hedges, scrub, brambles, trees and even the eaves of an old shed can hold a nest. The law above applies all year, and most birds nest in spring and summer, so that is when a plot is most likely to have one. If we find an active nest, that part of the job stops and we clear around it. Plan hedge and scrub work for autumn and winter where you can, and the risk mostly goes away.
Knotweed. If you think it is on the plot, do not strim it, dig it or pile it with the rest of the rubbish, because every fragment of root can grow. We do not take knotweed waste, and nor should any general waste carrier who has not agreed a permitted disposal site for it. Get a specialist to look first. The GOV.UK page above lists the trade bodies they usually belong to.
Asbestos. Old garages, sheds and outbuildings are where it turns up on a residential plot, usually as grey corrugated cement roof sheets, flue pipes or flat boards. You cannot tell by looking. If a structure pre-dates 2000, get a sample tested before anyone breaks it up. We do not handle asbestos ourselves, but we can arrange a licensed specialist, and our guide on getting rid of an old shed walks through the roof sheet question in detail. Once it is gone, we dismantle and clear the structure as normal.
Fly-tipped waste. Report it to the council first so there is a record, then clear it. If the pile holds drums, gas bottles, chemicals or needles, those need a specialist and cannot go in our van. For everything else, our fly-tipping clearance is priced on the same weight table as the rest of this page. If the dumping is on a scale of a lorryload or more, GOV.UK says to report it to the Environment Agency instead.
Clearing a live build site in phases
On a working site the aim is simple: the waste never gets in the way of the next trade. What makes that work is agreeing a few things before the first visit.
- One gathering point. A spot we can reach from the road, away from deliveries and scaffold. Loading from one place is quicker, and quicker is cheaper.
- Plasterboard kept apart. Plasterboard can make up to 10 percent of a mixed load. Above that a £35 contamination charge applies, so a separate bag or pile for it saves money. More on our plasterboard disposal page.
- Rubble and hardcore kept apart. Inert waste is heavy and priced by weight, and it is the stream most worth separating. See rubble and hardcore removal for how it is weighed and priced.
- Soil on its own. Excavated soil is the heaviest thing on most sites. Small amounts come out with our soil and muck away service, bigger amounts belong on a grab lorry.
- A call before each milestone. Before an inspection, a delivery or a handover, one phone call gets the site cleared the same day if you book before noon.
What it costs, and when we are not the cheapest option
Site clearance is priced on the weight table on this page: up to 50kg £45, up to 100kg £68, up to 200kg £136, up to 500kg £340 and up to 1,000kg £680. Light mixed waste such as packaging and offcuts starts from £24.99 for up to 40kg. A photo of the pile, or a short video of the plot, is enough for a fixed price before we arrive.
There are three situations where a different option beats us, and it is better to say so plainly.
- Tonnes of soil or hardcore. Once a job runs past a tonne or two of spoil, a grab lorry that loads itself is usually the better answer than two people with shovels.
- A skip already on site. If there is room in it and the waste is inert rubble with no plasterboard, fill the skip first. For a new booking, a 4-yard skip is £246 and an 8-yard is £323, which suits a steady build where waste arrives every day.
- An overgrown plot. Book the landscaper or tree surgeon first. Once the green waste is cut and bagged or piled, our garden waste collection takes it away from £24.99.
Who is responsible for the waste, and what paperwork to keep
On a commercial project the client carries its duties under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 in full. On a domestic project HSE says those client duties normally pass to the contractor, or to the principal contractor where there is more than one. Either way, whoever produces the waste keeps a duty of care to make sure it goes to a registered carrier and is disposed of properly.
The official duty of care code of practice says to keep the waste description for waste you have transferred for 2 years for non-hazardous waste, and three years for hazardous waste consignment notes. Every load we take comes with a digital waste transfer note showing our licence, CBDU597687, which is exactly the record the code asks you to hold. Sources: HSE on domestic clients under CDM 2015 and the GOV.UK waste duty of care code of practice, both checked 24 September 2026.
Site clearance questions we get asked
Do you do site clearance with machinery or hire out diggers?
No. We clear sites by hand with a two-person crew and a van, and we do not hire out plant or operators. For excavation or a topsoil strip, book a groundworks contractor or plant hire with an operator, and use a grab lorry for the spoil. We clear everything that can be carried.
Can you clear an overgrown plot?
We clear the rubbish, old structures and cut green waste. Heavy scrub, brambles and trees need a landscaper or tree surgeon first. Once it is cut, we take the green waste away from £24.99 along with anything else on the plot.
Is it illegal to clear a site in nesting season?
Clearing a site is not illegal at any time of year. Intentionally damaging or destroying the nest of a wild bird while it is in use or being built is an offence under section 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Check hedges, scrub and old buildings before work starts, and leave an active nest alone until it is empty.
How long should I keep the waste transfer notes from a site clearance?
The GOV.UK duty of care code of practice says 2 years for non-hazardous waste, and three years for hazardous waste consignment notes. We send a digital note for every load, so keep the emails or save the PDFs to the project folder.
