Clean Fill

[watchwolf49]

In addition to the list given in the article "Why do you see signs saying, “clean fill wanted”?:

[Clean fill is] free from contaminants, including corrosive, combustible, noxious, zootoxic, reactive, or radioactive materials.

Organic material is also rejected … no compost or branches or leaves or anything else that will decompose in the soil and create a void.

Some places accept chunks of concrete, others don’t … sometimes is depends on how much it’s broken up. Any fill has to be compacted and tested for compactness before a building’s foundation can be set on it. This tends to be expensive, so for just a couple of feet down, typically the builders will just dig out the fill until they reach “undisturbed” earth and set the foundation on that. Houses themselves aren’t god-awful heavy, but we’re subject to four foot or better snow loads and the two can and will break a foundation if there’s nothing under it to support the weight.

[eastcheap]

@watchwolf49

Organic material is also rejected … no compost or branches or leaves or anything else that will decompose in the soil and create a void.

It depends on what you want the earth for. Many rural landowners are actually looking to improve drainage or embark on other landscaping projects, so a little organic material isn’t necessarily a deal-killer. No stumps, obviously. Stones, lumps of concrete, etc. are extremely unwelcome.