Waste Acceptance Criteria testing is a leachate-based analysis (BS EN 12457-3) that tells a landfill or treatment facility whether it can legally accept your material at a given cell — inert, stable non-reactive, or hazardous. It is separate from hazard classification: WM3 decides whether the waste is hazardous, WAC decides where it can go.

Do I always need WAC testing before muck leaves site?

No. If the material is being reused on site under an appropriate exemption, or the receiving facility accepts it on a classification report alone, WAC may not be required. It is normally requested when the destination is landfill or a treatment facility, and most tips will not book space without it.

How many samples do I need?

It depends on volume and variability. As a rule of thumb one composite sample per 100–250 tonnes of consistent material is defensible, with more frequent sampling across made ground, fill of unknown origin, or where visual or olfactory evidence suggests contamination. We set the frequency before anything is dug so the results cover the whole parcel.

How long does classification take?

Sampling is usually a same-day visit. Standard lab turnaround is 3–5 working days; a 24–48 hour rush suite is available at a premium. Classification and route pricing follow within one working day of results landing.

What happens if the material comes back hazardous?

We price the realistic options rather than defaulting to hazardous landfill — soil treatment or washing, stabilisation, or segregation of the hot spots so the bulk of the material can follow a cheaper route. Hazardous movements are consigned and documented accordingly.

Who holds the legal duty of care?

The producer of the waste — normally the site owner or principal contractor — retains the duty of care for correct classification and description. Our role is to give you evidence-based classification and complete paperwork so that duty can be discharged properly.

Services · Waste classification

Know what your soil is before it leaves site.

Sampling, WAC testing and WM3 hazard assessment, followed by the paperwork the receiving facility and the regulator actually ask for. Classification decides the disposal route — and the disposal route is usually the biggest single cost on a muckshift.

•Sampling to BS EN 14899, UKAS lab analysis
•Full WAC leachate suite to BS EN 12457-3
•WM3 hazard assessment with reasoning, not just pass/fail
•Recovery and treatment routes priced before landfill

Book sampling & classification

Read the WAC testing & soil classification hub for a deeper explanation of WAC, WM3 and the four soil classifications.

Get it classified

Choose Material out, then tell us the material, volume and anything known about the ground history.

How classification works

Five stages from first look at the site history through to a priced, permitted destination.

1 · Desk study and sampling plan

We start with what you already know — site history, ground investigation reports, any previous analysis — then set a sampling frequency proportionate to the volume and the risk. Typical guidance is one composite sample per 100–250 tonnes of homogeneous material, tightened where made ground or contamination is suspected.

2 · Sampling on site

Samples are taken from the stockpile or excavation face in line with BS EN 14899, logged with location and depth, and sent to the lab under chain of custody so results can be tied back to a specific parcel of material.

3 · UKAS lab analysis

Standard suites cover metals, pH, sulphate, TPH/PAH, asbestos screen and, where a landfill route is likely, the full WAC leachate suite (BS EN 12457-3). Turnaround is typically 3–5 working days, with a 24–48 hour rush option when the programme demands it.

4 · Classification and outcome

Results are assessed against WM3 hazard-property thresholds and, separately, against the Waste Acceptance Criteria of the receiving facility. You get a clear outcome — inert, non-hazardous, stable non-reactive or hazardous — with the reasoning stated rather than a bare pass/fail.

5 · Route selection

With the classification confirmed, we price the routes that are genuinely open: recovery or soil-treatment where the material can be reused, permitted deposit-for-recovery schemes where appropriate, and landfill only where nothing better exists.

Paperwork you receive

Every classification is issued as a complete pack, so the duty-of-care chain is evidenced end to end and the tip has no reason to turn a load away.

Document	What it covers
Laboratory certificate of analysis	UKAS-accredited results, sample references and the analytical suites used.
Classification assessment	WM3 hazard assessment and WAC comparison, with the assumptions and thresholds stated.
EWC / List of Wastes code	The six-digit code assigned to each parcel, including mirror-entry reasoning where relevant.
Waste transfer note or consignment note	Duty-of-care documentation for every movement — consignment notes where the material is hazardous.
Tip tickets and weighbridge records	Per-load evidence of tonnage and destination, reconciled against the final invoice.
Carrier and permit details	Registered carrier details and the receiving site's environmental permit or exemption reference.

WAC and classification FAQs

What is WAC testing?: Waste Acceptance Criteria testing is a leachate-based analysis (BS EN 12457-3) that tells a landfill or treatment facility whether it can legally accept your material at a given cell — inert, stable non-reactive, or hazardous. It is separate from hazard classification: WM3 decides whether the waste is hazardous, WAC decides where it can go.
Do I always need WAC testing before muck leaves site?: No. If the material is being reused on site under an appropriate exemption, or the receiving facility accepts it on a classification report alone, WAC may not be required. It is normally requested when the destination is landfill or a treatment facility, and most tips will not book space without it.
How many samples do I need?: It depends on volume and variability. As a rule of thumb one composite sample per 100–250 tonnes of consistent material is defensible, with more frequent sampling across made ground, fill of unknown origin, or where visual or olfactory evidence suggests contamination. We set the frequency before anything is dug so the results cover the whole parcel.
How long does classification take?: Sampling is usually a same-day visit. Standard lab turnaround is 3–5 working days; a 24–48 hour rush suite is available at a premium. Classification and route pricing follow within one working day of results landing.
What happens if the material comes back hazardous?: We price the realistic options rather than defaulting to hazardous landfill — soil treatment or washing, stabilisation, or segregation of the hot spots so the bulk of the material can follow a cheaper route. Hazardous movements are consigned and documented accordingly.
Who holds the legal duty of care?: The producer of the waste — normally the site owner or principal contractor — retains the duty of care for correct classification and description. Our role is to give you evidence-based classification and complete paperwork so that duty can be discharged properly.

What we need to quote

Send these five things and a price comes back within one working day — no site visit needed in most cases.

1Site postcode, and the delivery or collection window you're working to
2Material and tonnage — or the area and depth, and we'll work the tonnage back
3Access: whether an 8-wheeler can get in and tip, whether a grab has to reach over a boundary, or whether it has to be bulk bags
4Anything overhead or restrictive — cables, low gates, weight limits, permit or bay suspension
5Whether material is going out as well as coming in, so we can price it as one two-way movement

Build an RFQ Work out tonnage first

Everything you need to spec, price and move material — tools, services and the exact material pages they relate to.

Classify first, then haul.

Send us the site details and we'll set a sampling plan, price the lab work and quote the disposal or recovery route in one response.

Request a quote Muckaway & haulage options