The Short Answer
On our estimates, clearing an overgrown small garden costs about £150 to £600 including taking the waste away. Big or very overgrown gardens are £600 to £1,500. Smaller jobs are priced by the load (£150 to £350) or by the hour (£40 to £60 per person).
Waste disposal is a big part of the price, and it's your problem if it ends up fly-tipped: check that whoever takes it is a registered waste carrier.
Garden clearance prices
| Job | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Per load, removed | £150 to £350 |
| Per hour, per person | £40 to £60 |
| Overgrown small garden | £150 to £600 |
| Large or very overgrown garden | £600 to £1,500 |
| Skip, one week (if you're doing it yourself) | £230 to £350 |
Clearance by garden size
| Area cleared | Typical cost, waste taken away |
|---|---|
| Up to 100m² | £150 to £300 |
| 100m² to 200m² | £300 to £600 |
| Over 200m² | £600 to £1,000 |
Clearance firms price by the load, by the hour or as a fixed price for the job. I'd ask for a fixed price after they've seen the garden, with what's being taken away written down.
If you find Japanese knotweed
Stop and get a specialist before anyone digs or strims it. The government's guidance says you must stop knotweed on your land spreading off your property, and you can be prosecuted for causing it to spread into the wild. You don't legally have to remove it unless it's causing a nuisance.
- A new plant can grow from a piece of root as small as 1cm, so a general clearance can spread it.
- Soil or plant material containing it can count as controlled waste: it must go with a registered waste carrier to a site permitted to take it, never mixed with other soil or sold as topsoil.
- Spraying usually takes at least 3 years; burying it on site has to be at least 5 metres deep (2 metres in a sealed membrane), with a month's notice to the Environment Agency.
The guidance suggests looking for treatment firms that belong to trade bodies such as the Invasive Non-Native Specialists Association or the Property Care Association.
Your duty for the waste
GOV.UK says garden waste and rubble from your home are household waste. If someone takes it away for you, you must check they're a registered waste carrier (upper tier). If it's fly-tipped and traced back to you, and you didn't check, you can be given a fixed penalty notice or prosecuted.
After the clearance
Once it's clear, price the rest: a new lawn, landscaping, or regular maintenance to keep it that way.
Get garden clearance quotes
Clearance is priced by how much there is and how far it has to be carried.
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Frequently asked questions
How much should it cost to clear a garden?
On our estimates, about £150 to £600 for an overgrown small garden and £600 to £1,500 for a large one, with the waste taken away.
What does a garden clearance involve?
Cutting back overgrowth, clearing weeds, rubbish and green waste, and taking it all away, priced by the load, by the hour or as a fixed price. Agree in writing what's included.
Do I need to check my garden clearance company?
Yes. Check they're a registered waste carrier. You can be fined if your waste is fly-tipped and you didn't check.
What happens if I find Japanese knotweed?
Don't dig or strim it. You must stop it spreading off your land, and it has to be treated or disposed of in specific ways. Use a specialist knotweed firm.
How much does it cost to clear a 100m² garden?
About £150 to £300 on our estimates, with the waste taken away; more if it's very overgrown.
Is a skip cheaper than a clearance company?
If you'll do the work yourself, a skip at £230 to £350 a week can be. A clearance company does the labour and the disposal.
How we priced thisView sources (2, 2 official)
Rules come from the legislation and official guidance, read at source. Prices are our estimates: we check them against trade price data, retailer shelf prices and specialists' price lists, then build them up from their parts so the totals add up. Below are the sources behind the page; the trade price guides we only compare against aren’t listed. Where sources disagreed, we've said so. More on our method.
- OfficialDispose of household waste, GOV.UK. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
- OfficialHow to stop Japanese knotweed from spreading (last updated 12 February 2026), GOV.UK (Environment Agency, Defra, Natural England). Checked 16 Oct 2026.
