What You Need to Know Before Hiring a Skip

If you’ve got a major home or garden project in mind, you may be thinking of hiring a skip to get rid of all the waste that it’s likely to generate. But before you ring up the first skip hire company you can find and get them to drop the biggest skip they have at your house, there are a few things you need to know.

Where can I put a skip?

If you’ve got a driveway, or any other hard, flat surface off the public road that’s easily accessible for a large lorry to get to, that’s the best location. Otherwise, it will have to go on the road outside your property.

Do I need a permit?

If it’s going to be on your land, then no. If it’s going on the road or any other public highway, then yes, a permit is required. If you do need one, then you don’t need to worry, because we can organise it for you. Costs vary depending on your local authority and processing an application may take a few days, so please give us as much notice as possible.

What you can and can’t put in a skip

• Things you can put into a skip include: hardcore, soil, bricks, rubble, garden waste, furniture, plastics, metal, wood, carpets, rugs and other furnishings
• Things you can’t put into a skip include: all kinds of hazardous or liquid waste, such as oils, solvents, chemicals, liquid paint, batteries, asbestos, clinical waste, and compressed gas canisters and bottles, plus things like electrical equipment and tyres

Please note that these lists are not exhaustive – if you’re not sure, it’s always best to check first. We’ll always be happy to advise you what you can put into one of our skips. Or you can find out more on our website.

The best way to load a skip

Put heavier, flatter items in the bottom of the skip, along with materials that squash down as things get placed on top of them. If you can, break down large and awkwardly shaped items, such as bits of furniture, because if they go in whole, it might be difficult to fit other things around them. Leave any loose debris till last, as that will fill in what spaces there are between everything else.

The golden rule, however, is to make sure you don’t overfill your skip above the sides of the container. Be realistic when working out what size skip, you’re likely to need – our natural tendency to economise means we’re likely to underestimate the amount of waste and order a smaller skip than we actually need.

What happens to what I put in my skip?

When we collect your skip, we recycle everything possible at our facility, which includes:

• Cardboard
• Paper
• Plastic
• Aggregates (e.g. hardcore, soil, sand and stone)
• Glass
• Wood
• Plasterboard

To comply with government targets, we always aim for ‘zero waste to landfill’ when it comes to recycling. This prevents waste filling our planet, lowers emissions, and reuses materials instead of producing more. Rest assured; we’ll do everything we can to ensure everything you put into one of our Brown Recycling skips is recycled.

Whatever the size of your project, Brown Recycling can help. We can drop off and collect skips across Staffordshire, Cheshire and the Midlands for both domestic and commercial customers. For more information, call our friendly team today or book online using our skip hire page.