Soil Yard with Screening and Delivery

Landscapers, builders, excavation contractors, garden centres and homeowners buying by the bucket, trailer or truckload.

You sell blended and screened soil by the cubic yard, with extra income from delivery fees and from taking in clean excess soil from building sites where local rules allow.

• Operating a loader and screening equipment
• Understanding soil quality and blends
• Managing stock, pricing and customers
• Basic bookkeeping and job scheduling

• Zoning, site permits and environmental rules for storing and processing soil, which vary by municipality and province
• Rules on accepting excess soil from other sites, including testing and record keeping, check your provincial environment ministry
• Dust, noise, drainage and neighbour complaints
• Commercial general liability and equipment insurance, plus WCB/WSIB coverage if you hire
• Larger startup costs and equipment breakdown risk
• Strong seasonality, with frozen ground and low demand in winter in many regions

Estimates suggest startup costs typically around $60,000 to $250,000, depending on whether you rent or own the yard and what loader and screening equipment you buy. Larger startup costs and equipment breakdown risk are worth planning for.

Check zoning, site permits and environmental rules for storing and processing soil, which vary by municipality and province. Also check rules on accepting excess soil from other sites, including testing and record keeping, plus insurance and WCB/WSIB coverage if you hire.

Estimates suggest monthly revenue typically around $10,000 to $50,000, depending on your products, pricing and delivery volume. Demand is strongly seasonal, with frozen ground and low demand in winter in many regions, so plan your cash flow.