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Skip Hire: Things to Know

Skip Hire: Things to Know

When it comes to projects in the home, you might find yourself needing to hire a skip. If you’ve never done this before, hiring a skip may prove to be confusing. To avoid any confusion, when you hire skip, there are several things you should consider.

What can you use skips for?


Skips are not just for use in construction. You can, for example, use a skip for domestic projects such as home renovation, garden clearance or house clearance. Using a skip to remove waste can make things a lot simpler, as well as cost-effective.

Skip size?

Skips come in different sizes. How big your skip needs to be will depend on how much waste you have as well as the amount of space you have for the skip. To avoid not filling all of the skip or the need to hire another skip, knowing what waste you want removed is important. It’s also important to check with the local authority whether they have any restrictions on the size of the skip allowed on roads.

What can go in skips?

While you may think that you can dispose of anything in a skip, this is not the case. Some things cannot go in skips. What you can and cannot put in skips will vary between the different local authorities. The sort of items that shouldn’t go in skips can include:

  • Any hazardous waste, such as asbestos.
  • Tires.
  • Electrical Appliances.
  • Gas canisters/bottles.
  • Fluorescent tubes.
  • Batteries.


There may be other items that your local authority may not allow. So that you don’t have any problems, it’s important to check with your local authority what you can put in skips.

Where can you place a skip?

When hiring a skip, you should consider where you’re going to place it. If you have a large enough space on your property, you can put the skip wherever you want. The only restrictions are that the area needs to be big enough and that the skip lorry can access it easily. The area also needs to support the weight of the lorry and the skip. If access is restricted or there’s not enough space, you could, instead, put the skip on the street outside.

Permits

If you decide to place the skip outside your property on the street, you will need a permit from your local council. The company you hire the skip from should be able to arrange this for you. It will usually be for a set period. You don’t need a permit from the council if the skip is on private property.

Environment


You should check what happens to the rubbish in your skip when it’s collected. Rather than take everything straight to landfill, does the hire company recycle any of the waste it collects? You should also check that the company has Environment Agency approval as well as having the necessary waste carriers’ licence and permits.

Length of hire


How long you can hire a skip for depends on where you place it. If it’s on the street, then how long will depend on the duration of your skip hire permit from the council. If, however, you place the skip on private land, then how long you can hire one for will be whatever you agree with the skip hire company.