Key skip hire guidance

Many of the home improvement projects covered in these Guides, especially Building, Decorating and Gardening, can produce waste. If it's a small amount you can take care of it yourself, but what if it's too much for your household rubbish bin? Then you'll need to call a Skip Hire Company to take it away for you. Here's what you need to know before you call.

It depends on how much rubbish you need to throw away, of course. 'More is more' is a good rule of thumb: You'll save time and money hiring a skip that is slightly too large, rather than hiring one that is too small and then having to call the company for a second skip. More importantly, overloadingskips is illegal (see 'Safety First!' section). Skips come in several sizes and price ranges:

Mini Skip. Good for garden and/or household waste.

• Capacity: 1-2 cubic yards (0.76 - 1.5 cubic metres). About 25-35 black bags.
• Height: 2' 6" (0.76m).
• Length: 5' (1.52m).
• Width: 4' (1.22m).
• Price: About £ 65, depending on the company and your location.

Midi Skip. Good for larger garden, household and commercial waste.

• Capacity: 3-4 cubic yards (2.5 - 3.5 cubic metres). About 35-45 black bags.
• Height: 3' 2" (0.97m).
• Length: 6' (1.83m).
• Width: 4' 3" (1.29m).
• Price: About £ 90, depending on the company and your location.

Builders Skip. Good for larger construction/home improvement waste.

• Capacity: 6-8 cubic yards (4.6 - 6.1 cubic metres). About 65-85 black bags.
• Height: 4' (1.22m).
• Length: 12' (3.66m).
• Width: 5' 6" (1.68m).
• Price: About £120, depending on the company and your location.

These are the sizes you are most likely to need. Your skip hire company should be able to provide larger sizes and even covered skips, should you need them.

Putting your skip on the road. Depending on where you live, you might be required to apply to your local council for a permit before you put a skip on the road. However, some councils will require the skip hire company itself to apply for the permit, which will save you the trouble. If that's your case, make sure the hire company has a currentpermit, as most permits are only good for about two weeks. Look in our Further Reading section for the direct.gov webpage, where you can find out how to apply. 

Putting your skip on your own driveway. You don't need to worry about any of the above if your skip can be put on a driveway or any private land. However, make sure you actually own the land: You might not own the grass verge in front of your house!

There's no room here for my skip! In large cities such as London there's usually not enough road space on which to put your skip. Not a problem, as local skip hire companies will know this and have several options to offer you, such as skip-bags or other rubbish clearance schemes. They might also offer to wait while you load.