What kind of dirt do you accept at dump sites?

Clean fill dirt, clay, topsoil, sand, and most uncontaminated excavation material. If you're unsure, your dispatcher will ask for a photo and confirm whether your material qualifies before you haul.

What if there's no dump site near my job?

We're actively expanding real dump site coverage across DFW and Denver metro. Check the live map at dumpsite.io/dfw or dumpsite.io/denver to see exactly what's open right now — if nothing's close enough yet, your dispatcher will find the best alternative and let you know before you commit.

What makes DumpSite different from other dump site options?

Two things nobody else offers: a real dispatcher who tailors the match to your project — material type, yardage, truck access, and location — instead of handing you a generic list, and a live public map (dumpsite.io/dfw and dumpsite.io/denver) showing exactly which sites are open right now. Use either path — text a dispatcher for a custom match, or check the map yourself.

How does the savings guarantee work?

If you don't save more on disposal costs than your membership fee in your first month, we refund your subscription in full AND give you the next month free. We track your loads, so the math is simple.

Can I cancel anytime?

Yes. Month-to-month, cancel anytime, no contracts, no cancellation fees. We keep you because the service works, not because of fine print.

I'm a driver, not a contractor. Do I have to pay?

No. Drivers never pay. Our driver network is completely free. If you're a driver looking for dump sites or paid hauling work, visit our driver page or just reach out — we'll get you set up at no cost.

How fast can you get trucks to my site?

Average dispatch time is under 1 hour. Members with priority access often see trucks within 30 minutes. Your dispatcher will give you a real ETA before you commit to anything.

Dirt by project type/Septic Tank and Drain Field Installation: What to Do With the Leftover Dirt

Septic Tank and Drain Field Installation: What to Do With the Leftover Dirt

A septic install looks like a hole you're filling, not emptying — but the tank, gravel bedding, and drain field piping permanently occupy space the native soil used to. That leaves a real net-excess pile once backfill and drain field construction are actually done, and it's clean fill in almost every case.

Septic installation doesn't feel like a "get rid of dirt" project. If anything, it feels like the opposite — you're putting a tank and hundreds of feet of pipe into the ground, so it seems like everything that comes out should eventually go back in. It usually doesn't. The tank, the drain field's gravel bedding, and the pipe running through it all occupy real volume in the same footprint the native soil used to fill, and none of that volume gives the dirt anywhere to go back to. What's left over is a legitimate net-excess soil pile, and it's one of the more common calls our dispatchers get from installers and homeowners who didn't expect this job to generate a haul-away load at all.

Why a septic system is a net-excess-dirt project, even though it doesn't look like one

Think about what actually happens to the ground on a septic job. You excavate a pit for the tank and a series of trenches for the drain field — that's all native soil coming out. But almost none of what fills those cavities back in afterward is native soil. The tank itself, concrete or plastic, is a fixed 1,000 to 1,500 gallon object sitting in that pit permanently. The drain field trenches get layered with gravel bedding, distribution pipe, more gravel on top of the pipe, and a layer of filter fabric before any soil goes back over the top — and even then, it's usually a partial fill cap, not a full backfill to grade with native material. Every one of those layers is volume that used to be soil and now isn't. That's the whole mechanism: the hole is measurably bigger, materially, than what goes back into it, because gravel, pipe, and a tank now permanently occupy space that dirt used to occupy.

Where the excess actually comes from, phase by phase

Tank excavation

Digging the tank pit pulls native soil out first. Some of it goes right back in as backfill around the sides of the tank, placed and compacted in lifts so the tank doesn't shift once it's buried. But the tank itself — the 1,000 to 1,500 gallon vessel sitting in the middle of that pit — displaces volume permanently. That soil isn't coming back, no matter how carefully the backfill is placed.

Drain field trenches

This is where most of the volume actually shows up. A typical drain field runs 3 to 5 trenches, each 18 to 36 inches deep and 2 to 3 feet wide, and each one gets excavated to pull native soil out along its full length. What goes back in is gravel bedding on the trench floor, the distribution pipe itself, more gravel packed around and over the pipe, a layer of filter fabric to keep soil from washing into the gravel, and only then a partial cap of soil or specified fill on top — not a full return of what came out. Multiply that gap across every trench in the field and it adds up to a real, measurable volume of native soil with nowhere left to go.

Is the leftover soil actually clean?

In the large majority of cases, yes. This is soil the excavator pulled from around the tank and drain field trenches before the system was ever put into service — it hasn't been in contact with anything the septic system carries. That makes it functionally the same as native soil from a foundation dig or a pool excavation: fine for clean-fill matching at an approved site.

The one real exception worth naming honestly: if this is a replacement system on an older property where the existing septic setup was failing, there's a legitimate chance the excavator hits soil that's been in contact with effluent from the old system — saturated, discolored, or foul-smelling soil near a failed tank or drain field is a different disposal situation than clean native fill. If anything coming out of the ground looks or smells like that, don't assume it's clean and don't let it get mixed into the rest of the pile. Flag it to your dispatcher specifically — they need to know before a match gets made, not after a load gets turned away at the gate.

How much dirt are we actually talking about

There's a real range here, and it depends on your specific system design, so treat these as planning numbers, not a quote. A tank excavation for a standard 1,000-1,500 gallon tank typically leaves somewhere around 10 to 20 cubic yards of native soil that the tank and its backfill don't replace. The drain field usually adds a comparable amount or more: 3 to 5 trenches, each 18-36 inches deep and 2-3 feet wide, running a combined 150 to 300 linear feet, can leave a similar or larger net-excess volume once you account for everything the gravel, pipe, and fabric layers displace instead of soil.

Add the two together and a typical residential septic install can leave anywhere from roughly 15 to 40-plus cubic yards of native soil with nowhere to go back — but your actual number depends on tank size, drain field length, trench depth, and what your percolation test required, which varies a lot by lot. Your septic installer will have, or can get you, an actual figure once the design is finalized. If you want a rough independent check in the meantime, run your own trench and pit dimensions through the yardage calculator — length times width times depth, divided by 27.

Why timing the call matters more on this project than most

This is the one detail that trips people up on septic jobs specifically: the real excess volume isn't visible during the initial dig. Early on, all you can see is a pit and some trenches with soil piled next to them — it looks like a lot of dirt, but you don't actually know yet how much of it is coming back as backfill and cap material versus staying out for good. That number only becomes real once the tank is set, the drain field is built out with its gravel and pipe, and the backfill and fill cap are actually in place. Call a dispatcher too early and you're guessing at a number that's still moving. Wait until backfill and drain field construction are done, and the true net-excess pile is just sitting there with nothing left to do but move it.

Regional context: DFW and Denver soil

In DFW, most of the region sits in the Blackland Prairie belt with Eagle Ford and Austin Chalk clay formations underneath — dense, slow-draining clay that often requires a larger drain field footprint to pass a percolation test, which usually means more trench length and more excess soil than the same system would need in sandier ground. TCEQ, the same agency that regulates where dirt disposal can legally go under 30 TAC §330.3, is also the agency that administers on-site sewage facility permitting in Texas — so the regulator overseeing your septic install and the regulator overseeing where the leftover dirt from it can go are one and the same.

In Denver metro, Front Range and Denver Basin geology varies more lot to lot — some sites perc reasonably well, others need a larger or engineered system with more excavation to compensate. CDPHE, under 6 CCR 1007-2, regulates the disposal side, while septic (OWTS) permitting itself is handled at the county health department level rather than the state — worth knowing if you're coordinating both permits on the same timeline.

What this looks like in practice

Once your installer confirms backfill and drain field work are complete and gives you a real yardage number, the rest of this works the same way any other clean-fill load does through DumpSite: no directory to search, no guessing which site takes clay-heavy native soil this week. Run the numbers, text a dispatcher with what you've got, and get matched to an approved site — or check the DFW or Denver live map to see what's open right now. The first load is free at any approved site regardless of membership, and drivers hauling the load are never charged.

Common questions

Does a septic tank and drain field installation actually produce leftover dirt?

Yes, more than it looks like it should. The hole excavated for the tank and drain field trenches is bigger, materially, than what goes back into it — the tank itself, plus gravel bedding, pipe, and filter fabric in the trenches, permanently occupy volume that native soil used to fill. What's left over is a real net-excess pile of native soil once backfill and the drain field are complete.

Is the dirt from a septic excavation safe to dump, or could it be contaminated?

In most cases it's clean — the soil comes out of the ground before the system is ever put into service, so it hasn't touched anything the septic system carries. The exception is a replacement system on an older property with a failing existing setup, where the excavator can occasionally hit soil that's been in contact with effluent from the old system. If anything looks discolored or smells like sewage, don't assume it's clean — flag it to your dispatcher before it gets matched to a site.

How much dirt does a typical septic tank and drain field installation leave over?

As a rough range, the tank excavation alone typically leaves 10 to 20 cubic yards of native soil that isn't replaced by the tank and its backfill. A 3-to-5-trench drain field, run over roughly 150 to 300 linear feet, can add a comparable or larger amount once gravel, pipe, and fabric are accounted for — so a full install commonly nets somewhere around 15 to 40-plus cubic yards. Get an actual figure from your septic installer, since sizing depends on your specific lot and percolation test results.

Should I call a dispatcher during the dig or after the septic system is finished?

After. The true net-excess volume isn't visible during the initial excavation — it only becomes clear once the tank is backfilled and the drain field trenches are filled with their gravel, pipe, and fill cap. Calling before that point means guessing at a number that's still changing; waiting until construction is complete gives your dispatcher a real yardage figure to match you against.

Ready to get this matched?

Text your dispatcher the material and yardage — they'll take it from here.

Text (214) 753-8096 →

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