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EFR Skips - Yorkshire skip hire and waste recycling
Grab Hire

GRAB HIRE & MUCK AWAY

A grab lorry loads your soil, rubble and hardcore and takes it away in a single visit — no skip left behind, no permit needed. Across Wakefield, Leeds, Dewsbury and Ossett.

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What is grab hire?

Grab hire is the fastest way to clear large volumes of heavy waste. Instead of leaving a skip on your site for days, a lorry fitted with a hydraulic grab arm arrives, scoops up the material and drives it away in one visit. One grab lorry carries 12 to 16 tonnes — the equivalent of several skips — and because there is no per-day rental and no permit to buy, it usually works out cheaper for bulk jobs.

The grab arm reaches up to around six metres, over walls, fences and hedges, so it is ideal for sites where there is simply no room to place a skip. That combination of speed, reach and value makes grab hire the go-to for muck away, driveway and patio removals, and any job producing a lot of soil, rubble or hardcore.

When to choose grab hire

Bulk soil & muck away

Excavated soil, clay and spoil from foundations, extensions, driveways and drainage — loaded and gone in one visit.

Rubble & hardcore

Brick, concrete, stone and hardcore from demolition, patios and hard-landscaping projects.

No permit, no waiting

The lorry loads and leaves, so there's no skip permit to pay for and no 2-to-5-day council wait.

Recycled, not landfilled

Inert material is taken to our licensed transfer station where over 90% is recovered for reuse.

Grab hire or skip hire?

Use grab hire for one-off bulk removals of heavy, inert waste — soil, rubble, hardcore and muck away. Use skip hirefor ongoing projects where you fill a container at your own pace over several days, including lighter mixed waste. Not sure? Call us and we'll point you to the cheapest option for your job.

Read our full skip hire vs grab hire guide →

Grab hire questions

What is grab hire?

Grab hire is when a lorry fitted with a hydraulic grab arm comes to your site, scoops up the waste and drives it away in a single visit — no skip is left behind. It is the fastest and usually the cheapest way to clear large volumes of heavy waste like soil, rubble, hardcore, concrete and aggregate, because there is no per-day skip rental and one grab lorry holds the equivalent of several skips. The grab arm can also reach over walls, fences and hedges, so it works on sites where there is no room to place a skip.

How much does grab hire cost?

Grab hire is priced per load rather than as a flat skip rate, because it depends on the volume and weight of waste, the type of material and the distance from our depot. A single grab lorry typically carries 12 to 16 tonnes. For most domestic and small trade jobs a grab load works out cheaper than the equivalent number of skips. Call EFR Skips on 01924 637777 with your postcode and a rough idea of what needs removing, and we'll give you a clear price over the phone.

What is muck away?

Muck away is the removal of excavated soil, subsoil, clay and spoil from a construction or landscaping site — typically the material dug out for foundations, extensions, driveways, patios and drainage. Our grab lorries handle muck away across West Yorkshire, loading the spoil directly and taking it to our licensed transfer station for recycling or recovery. Because muck away is heavy, grab hire is almost always the right choice over a skip. Tell us the volume and material when you call and we'll arrange collection to suit your dig.

What can go in a grab load?

Grab hire is best for heavy, inert waste: soil, subsoil, clay, rubble, brick, concrete, hardcore, stone, sand, gravel and tarmac. It is ideal for muck away, driveway and patio removals, garden clearances involving a lot of earth, and construction spoil. It is not suitable for general mixed household waste, wood, plastics or light waste — a skip is better for those. If your load is a mix of heavy and light material, call us and we'll advise whether a grab, a skip or a combination is the best value.

Do I need a permit for grab hire?

No. Because a grab lorry loads the waste and leaves in one visit rather than leaving a container on the road, grab hire does not need a council skip permit — even when the material is stacked on the kerbside or verge ready for collection. That saves both the permit fee and the 2-to-5-day wait for the council to process one. This is one of the main reasons grab hire is popular for road-facing driveway and landscaping jobs where a permitted skip would otherwise be needed.

Which areas do you cover for grab hire?

We provide grab hire and muck away across our full West Yorkshire service area — Wakefield, Leeds, Dewsbury, Ossett, Batley, Castleford, Pontefract and the surrounding WF, LS and BD postcodes. Because our grab lorries run from the same depots as our skips, we can usually offer next-day collection and often same-day for urgent site work. Call 01924 637777 to check availability for your postcode.

Need a grab lorry?

Call with your postcode and what needs removing, and we'll give you a clear price for grab hire or muck away over the phone.

Call 01924 637777Get a skip quote instead