If you are undertaking any kind of major property renovation, or simply have a lot of junk to clear out, it pays to know how to hire a skip.
While it’s not a complicated process, there are a number of factors and considerations you’ll need to take into account. We have hired several skips over our time and each one needed careful consideration.
Here are the main questions we’ve always asked before we’ve hired a skip:
1) Do I Actually Need A Skip?
The first thing to decide is whether you actually need one. This will usually depend on how much rubbish you have to get rid of, how close you live to a household waste centre, and whether you have access to any kind of transport.
Even if you don’t have your own vehicle large enough to transport your waste, it may be cheaper to hire a larger van or make several trips to the tip in a smaller vehicle.
That said, I personally hate going to the tip. They’re usually busy and you’re often left with a messy car afterwards. For that reason, if I can justify it a skip, I’ll usually go that route.
Of course, a skip isn’t the only option. You could hire a man with a van and a licence to do rubbish clearance for one. Or, if you prefer, there are Hippobags that are a bit like a skip but in bag form. The advantage is you can buy one well in advance as you have 6 months to book your collection.
It all comes down to preference, cost and the type of rubbish you want to get rid of.
2) What Can I Put In A Skip?
There are a number of items that cannot be put into a skip. The typical list looks something like this:
- Asbestos
- Plasterboard
- Compressed Gas Cylinders (full or empty)
- Explosives
- Computer Equipment (such as towers and monitors)
- Electrical Equipment (e.g. Electric Cookers, Electric Fans)
- Batteries
- Fluorescent Tubes
- Medical Waste of any kind
- Oils
- Other Chemicals (e.g. bleach, detergents, processing fluids)
- Solvents (e.g. paint, glue)
- Paint Tins (unless completely empty)
- Tyres
This isn’t an exhaustive list, and, it can vary depending on where in the country you are and which hire company you are using. It’s always best to check with the hire company whether your waste is permitted before confirming the hire.
We have always found that when booking a skip, the hire company will usually ask you what you want to put in the skip. This is both so they can make sure they give you the right type of skip, but also so they can check you’re not wanting to dispose of anything on the restricted list.
Often, during this conversation, we’ve found the skip hire company will go through their prohibited list anyway.
Keep in mind that if you add prohibited items to your skip, the hire company may refuse to collect it until the items have been removed. You may also be liable to pay a fine.
3) How Big A Skip Do I Need?
Ah, the age-old question. You don’t want to waste money on a skip that’s too large, yet, if you get one that’s too small, you’ll be left with some waste that you can’t get rid of.
Whenever we’ve hired a skip this has been the most difficult question for us to answer.
The first time we hired one, we were over-cautious and hired one we knew would be larger than we needed. It gave us the peace of mind that we could comfortable dispose of everything, though of course that came at a cost.
More recently when we’ve hired a skip, we’ve tried to be more precise with our measurements to avoid wasting money on an oversized skip.
Thankfully, when we needed to dig out turf from our garden, we had the space to pile all the old turf up. We then had the simple job of measuring the mound at the end and being able to precisely calculate the size of skip we needed.
Doing it this way also meant we had plenty of time to load the skip up as all the other work had been done. However, the downside was that it created extra work since we had to essentially move each bit of turf twice – once to the pile then again once we got the skip.
Still, we found this a better, less stressful solution for us so it’s worth considering if it’s an option for you.
But, if you can’t do this, how do you work out how big a skip you need? Unfortunately, there isn’t an easy answer to this as it will rely on you being able to accurately visualise how much waste you’ll have.
Skip Hire Guide By Mackers Total Recycling
Most companies offer three basic types of skip, Mini, Midi, and Maxi.
Typical amounts skips will hold:
- Mini = Up to 30 bin liners of rubbish
- Midi = Up to 40 bin liners of rubbish
- Maxi = Up to 120 bin liners of rubbish
If you are just having a clearout or are undertaking a small refurbishment project, a Mini skip will likely be large enough.
Undertaking something more substantial like building a conservatory? You’ll probably need a Midi skip. If you are undertaking a large refurbishment such as building a sizable extension, you’ll probably need a Maxi skip.
Of course, you may not be 100% sure what size you need.
In this case, it’s usually best to go for a larger size since that will be less costly, and less hassle, than having to order multiple smaller skips. Most hire websites will have size guides on their website to help you decide what size you need.
4) Where Can I Put A Skip?
A skip can be placed anywhere on your private land that you desire, providing the van can easily deliver and collect it. For that reason, most people choose to have their skip on their driveway or front lawn.
Keep in mind that if you place it on your lawn, it’s likely to damage the grass if it is left there for any period of time. They have also been known to damage or mark driveways, especially on softer surfaces such as tarmac.
For us, we’ve always found space on our driveway and haven’t had any issues with the skip damaging it. The main thing for us was just being there when the skip was delivered to make sure it’s placed in a position which doesn’t restrict access to anything we need.
One thing we also learned is that if you need to be able to drop the door of the skip down (particularly useful if you want to use a wheelbarrow to put things directly in), make sure you tell the delivery driver.
This nearly went wrong for us on our first skip delivery as we needed the drop door access but the driver had placed it so the drop door was too close to the garage wall to use. Luckily we spotted this and the driver was happy to pick it up and turn it around.
If you don’t like the idea of potentially damaging your garden or driveway, or you simply don’t have space or access to be able to place it on private land, you can apply to have your skip on the roadside. It cannot, however, be placed on the pavement.
5) Do I Need A Skip Licence?
If it will sit entirely on private land, you do not need a skip licence or permit.
Should you decide to place the it on the roadside, you’ll need a skip permit or licence. In some areas this will be arranged by the hire company, in others, you’ll need to obtain the permit yourself.
When placing a skip on the roadside you may need to take additional safety precautions, such as lights or reflective markings. Failure to obtain a permit and use the correct safety markings can result in a fine of up to £1,000.
We’ve always been fortunate enough to have the space to put our skips on our own land, thus negating the need for licences and extra precautions. Where possible, we’d recommend going this route to keep things simple, however, it isn’t always possible of course.
6) How Long Can I Hire A Skip For?
It’s common practice to hire skips for between 1 and 2 weeks. However, some skip hire companies will offer hire for an unlimited amount of time. This can be handy when working on projects that will take a lot of time, but it can get very expensive.
Equally, if you fill your skip more quickly, you can usually ask your hire company to collect it sooner. This will help you free up space and get another one in if required.
We often do this with our skip hires, especially if we’ve prepared all the waste material in advance and just need to load it straight into the skip.
We have found that sometimes you need to keep chasing the skip hire company for collection though. You’d think they’d be in a rush to get the skip back so someone else can hire it. However, in truth, they have that many skips that most aren’t in any rush.
This means you shouldn’t be surprised if you’re left with a full skip for a few days or so while you await collection.
Just keep in mind that if you have a skip permit in place, it will only be valid for a certain amount of time, so, make sure you don’t exceed the time limit.
7) How Much Does A Skip Cost?
The cost of hiring a skip varies across the country, with those in London typically paying around 10% more than the rest of the country.
Outside of London, you can expect to pay:
- Mini = £90-£130
- Midi = £200-£250
- Maxi = £250-340
These prices are rough estimates and are based on a 1 week hire period.
That said, it does vary quite a bit. For instance, for our last skip hire in 2022 we paid £170 for a builders 8 yard skip.
We’ve found that often the price can fluctuate from day to day or week to week depending on demand. Typically, we’ve found it cheaper to hire skips during the colder months, and more expensive during the warmer months when more people tend to be doing work.
Where To Hire A Skip:
That completes our guide on how to hire a skip. With the answers to all of the above questions, you should be in a good position to make the necessary decisions you need to make before contacting a skip hire company.
In that case, you’ll need to decide where to hire it from. There are a number of options open to you, for instance, a quick search in Google will bring up numerous skip hire companies local to you.
That’s the approach we have always used to good effect. Sometimes we have found a skip company won’t quote due to your location or them not having skips available. In this case, we’ve always found it’s worth asking them if they can recommend an alternative company.
Alternatively, there are a number of national companies who can provide hire across the country.
If you liked this article, you may also like our guide on the top 5 ways to add value to a property.
