Why would I need to hire a skip?

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.

What size skip do I need?

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 slightlytoo large, rather than hiring one that is too small and then having to call the company for a second skip. More importantly,overloadingskips isillegal(see ‘Safety First!’ section). Skips come in several sizes and price ranges:

Mini Skip.Good forgarden and/or householdwaste.

• 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 forlarger garden, household and commercialwaste.

• 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 largerconstruction/home improvementwaste.

• 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.

Skip HirePermits

Putting your skip on the road.Depending on where you live, you might be required to apply to your local council for a permitbeforeyou put a skip on the road. However, some councils will require theskip hire companyitself to apply for the permit, which will save you the trouble. If that’s your case, make sure the hire company has acurrentpermit, as most permits are only good for abouttwo weeks. Look in ourFurther Readingsection 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 companieswill 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.