Tom Martin

A plain-English guide to estimating fill quantities — converting cubic metres to tonnes to truckloads, and why adding a margin for compaction matters.

The Brisbane 2032 Olympics is triggering a major construction boom across South East Queensland — and that means more free clean fill than ever before for landowners who know where to look.

Own land that needs building up? Here’s how tip sites can receive clean fill for free, why charging for it backfires, and how cutting out the middleman means everyone wins.

If you need fill for your site — a low spot to bring up, a pad to build, a hole to close — the first instinct for a lot of people is to jump on a local Facebook group, post “clean fill wanted,” and wait to see who bites. It feels quick and it feels

If you’ve ever needed fill for a project, you may or may not know the drill. You jump on a community page or a local buy-swap-sell group, post what you’re after, and wait. Maybe someone replies. Maybe they don’t. Maybe the bloke who does reply turns out to be a complete unknown. Or you don’t

For small amounts of clean fill (VENM), you generally don’t need an EPA permit — but your local council may still require approval depending on volume and where it’s going. Contaminated soil is different: most states require a permit or licensed facility to move and dispose of it. The rules vary by state, so here’s

In Australia, fill material is sorted into categories based on how clean it is. VENM and clean fill are natural, uncontaminated material. ENM is natural material with very low, tested levels of contamination. Contaminated fill is anything that exceeds those limits and must go to a licensed facility. Knowing which is which decides where your

Moving or disposing of fill dirt in Australia typically costs between $20 and $220 per tonne at the tip, plus cartage. The final figure depends on your state, how clean the material is, and how far it has to travel. The cheapest option is almost always to send your fill to a nearby site that

If you have excavated soil from a building project, you can find a tip site that will take it for free — saving 0–00 per load in tip fees. Here is how.

Clean fill is inert soil, clay, rock, or sand with no contaminants. Here is what qualifies as clean fill in Australia, what to avoid, and how to check before accepting material.