01386 841181
If you’re throwing out your old furniture, cleaning up garden waste, or are involved in a refurbishing project at your home or business, hiring a skip may be your best alternative for getting rid of that unwanted waste. Hiring a skip is a simple matter of deciding what size you need and for how long you’ll need it, then contacting us, so that we can deliver the skip to your home or business. After receiving your skip, you toss the waste into the skip. When it’s full or when your project is complete, we will pick up the skip and recycle the contents or dispose of the contents in a landfill.
While hiring a skip is safe, easy, and convenient, you’ll need to follow certain guidelines as to what can and cannot be disposed of in a skip. Below, we’ve provided you with a list of things you can and cannot put in the skip. The reason for the restrictions is primarily due to health, safety, and environmental regulations. In addition, there are some items that can be put in a skip only if other items are NOT in the same skip.
Items You Can Put In A Skip
Generally speaking, most items that are not hazardous to the environment can be safely disposed of in a skip. While the following list is not all-inclusive, the following are most items that can be put in a skip. If the items you want to discard are not on this list, you can call us or send us an email as to whether they can be included.
Wood
Solidified Paint
Uncontaminated soil
Rubble
Polystyrene
Plastic
Metal
Gas Cookers
Garden waste, leaves and branches
Broken furniture
Nonelectrical fittings
Empty tins
Domestic waste
Cardboard
Bricks
Items Not Allowed in a Skip
Individual companies often set their own guidelines, so it’s always best to ask your skip hire company if you’re unsure about what to put in your skip. They may provide you with a detailed list of what can and cannot be placed in the skip. In some cases, you could face legal action if you place anything harmful into a skip. If your skip hire company finds prohibited items in your skip, they may refuse to dispose of them, or may charge you an extra fee to remove them.
Here’s a list of items you CANNOT put in a skip. Again, this list is not all encompassing, so it’s best to ask your skip company if you’re unsure about a specific class of waste.
Batteries
Batteries should never go into a landfill. They contain hazardous chemicals that can leach out into the environment. They need to be taken to a recycling facility. Small batteries can be dropped off at petrol stations, your local garage, or supermarkets that have special boxes for battery disposal. Larger batteries, such as car batteries can be recycled by your car garage.
Gas cylinders
Even if you think your gas cylinder is empty, there is a chance that it may not be, and residual contents present in the cylinder could cause fires or explosions. While it is possible to put gas cylinders in our skips, please make sure to give the office a call to let us know that you intend to put one or more gas cylinders in the skip, and we can also advise you on the best way to do this, in the interest of the safety of both yourself, and our driver.
For more information, you can read our blog on how to dispose of gas bottles correctly, here.
Tyres
Disposing of tyres requires a lot of work, and although we do accept them in our skips here at Budget Skips, we do ask that you call the office first to let us know that there will be tyres in the skip when we collect.
There are also other ways that you can dispose of tyres – your tyre changer or fitter can dispose of them for you, or you can contact the Tyre Recovery Organisation to help you find a tyre collector. Tyres today are recycled into a large variety of products such as rubber floors for playgrounds and gyms, plant pots, and much more.
Plasterboard (sheetrock or drywall)
It may seem odd to you, but the government prohibits the disposal of plasterboard in skips, unless the plasterboard is the only waste and is in a plasterboard only skip. Plasterboard is a hazardous material to dispose of when mixed with other wastes, as it can create toxic fumes that are harmful to people as well as the environment. Generally, plasterboard has to be disposed of in special sealed bags. If you have a large amount of plasterboard to dispose of, it’s best to consult us directly.
Mattresses
Mattresses must be disposed of differently than general waste. If you rent a skip to dispose of a mattress, this should be done in a proper way, and you should check with the skip hire to make sure they can handle it. Also, there are certain companies that will pick up and dispose of used mattresses for a fee.
Fluorescent bulbs
Since these bulbs contain chemicals such as mercury, which are very harmful, you can’t put them in a skip. Again, you may have to consult your local council to direct you to recycling centers that can handle the old fluorescent bulbs.
Asbestos
Asbestos is one of the most highly hazardous materials in the world, as it can cause cancer and other diseases. There are strict rules and regulations imposed by the government regarding its disposal. If you have asbestos or similar fibre-based products such as corrugated fibre/concrete sheets, you can hire a special asbestos skip from us at Budget Skips. If you would like to do this, please give us a call when you place your order so that we can provide you with an asbestos skip, and advise you on handling the material.
Medical waste
Skips cannot be used to dispose of medical waste, as they can cause serious infections and contamination. This would include any bodily fluids, used or unused needles, biological matter, hospital waste, or medicines. For more information about medical wastes, contact the Department of Health.
Paint, Solvents, Liquids, and Fuel
It should be no surprise that these items are prohibited from being disposed of in your skip. You should never place these items into a skip because they could cause harm to others. These fluids contain harmful compounds, can be combustible, and can cause serious chemical burns. There are specific companies that are licensed to dispose of such waste. An exception to this rule would be solidified paints.
To summarize, skips provide a convenient means for disposing of all kinds of waste, but guidelines must be followed to insure that prohibited items are never included. By following these guidelines, you can protect yourself, your neighbours, the skip company workers, and the environment from contamination.
Budget Waste Management has served the public for 23 years and counting, providing courteous efficient waste removal. We are leading regional recyclers of both commercial and domestic waste. We now boast a modern, large fleet of skip hire trucks and tippers complemented by large scale recycling machinery. This allows us to remove almost all types and volumes of waste and recycle nearly all of it on our own premises in Honeybourne. In fact, we are able to recycle 95 per cent of the waste we process.
We take waste from Worcestershire, Warwickshire, and Gloucestershire and export all over the UK and Europe. We are passionate about meeting new aims and recycling targets. Our ethos is to reduce and reuse and as a result, we sell a range of processed aggregates and soils all from our center on the outskirts of the Cotswold and Vale of Evesham. Supporting our community is at the heart of what we do, from working with local charities to skips for village clearances, we are always looking for ways to make a difference.
When you need to hire a skip, give us a call at 01386 941181 or email us at sales@budgetskips.com. We offer a variety of skips. We can often deliver the same day with orders placed before midday. And we can deliver or collect skips without you being at home.