The difference in one table
| Skip | Roll-on/roll-off container | |
|---|---|---|
| Sizes | 4 to 16 yards | 20 to 40 yards |
| Best for | One job: a clear-out, a renovation, a refit | A site producing waste for weeks, or heavy material in quantity |
| How it arrives | Lifted off the back of the lorry on chains | Rolled off the back of a hook-lift lorry, tipping up as it comes off |
| Room the lorry needs | About 12 m in a straight line, 3 m wide, 4.5 m overhead | About 16 m in a straight line, 3 m wide, 5.5 m overhead |
| On a public road | With a council permit | Rarely: almost always on private ground |
| How it is priced | By size and waste type: one price for delivery, the hire, collection and disposal | By the container and by the tonne: the price covers the weight the container includes, and weight above that is billed per tonne |
| Keeping it longer | No extra hire charge; a permit on the road may need extending | No extra hire charge |
| Guide price | From £366, including VAT | From £636, including VAT |
When a skip is enough
- It is one job, with an end: a clear-out, a bathroom or kitchen strip-out, a garden project.
- The waste is mixed household or renovation waste, and it fits one of the sizes on sale (4 to 16 yards).
- Space is ordinary: a drive, or the road outside with a permit.
Which size of skip fits which job.
When to step up to a roll-on/roll-off
- A site producing waste for weeks: a strip-out, a construction phase, a large clearance.
- Heavy material in volume: soil, hardcore, concrete. In skips, soil / subsoil and hardcore / rubble go in skips of 8 yards or less, so a large quantity of heavy waste does not go in a large skip.
- Separate streams, one container each.
A 20-yard container holds about 1.3 times what the largest skip on sale, 16 yards, does, and a 40-yard about 2.5 times. Volume is usually not the reason to choose one, though: the weight is.
| Container | Suits | Weight included | Guide price (incl. VAT) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Yard RoRo | Heavy waste — soil, hardcore, concrete | 2 tonnes | from £636 |
| 40 Yard RoRo | Bulky waste — packaging, timber, furniture | 2 tonnes | from £636 |
See roll-on/roll-off containers.
Will the lorry get in?
A roll-on/roll-off lorry is considerably larger than a skip lorry, so check the way in before choosing a container.
| Check | Skip lorry | Roll-on/roll-off lorry |
|---|---|---|
| Straight run | About 12 m | About 16 m |
| Width | About 3 m | About 3 m |
| Clear overhead | About 4.5 m | About 5.5 m |
The roll-on/roll-off lorry reverses in and sets the container down in line, so there can be no tight turns, pinch points or blocked gates, and nothing overhead: no lifting under or near power lines. The ground has to be firm and level — the lorry with a loaded container is around 30 tonnes — and the spot has to be one the lorry can reach again to exchange or collect it. These are typical figures for UK vehicles, not a specification.
How each is priced
A skip is priced by its size and the waste it is booked for. One price, shown before you pay, covers delivery, the hire, with no fixed period, collection and disposal.
A roll-on/roll-off container covers the same four things, but its price follows the weight. The quoted figure covers the weight the container includes. Anything heavier is weighed at the facility and billed by the tonne, at the rate for that waste. Going over the included weight does not stop the collection — it makes the bill bigger — provided the container is filled no higher than its sides and is within what the lorry can safely and legally carry. Every delivery and every exchange is a lorry journey with its own haulage. An exchange — the full one taken away and an empty one left in its place — is booked online.
Which costs less depends on the load, so neither is said to be cheaper here. Price both for your postcode; where a container cannot be priced online for your area, ask and it is quoted.
Permits
A skip on your own ground needs no permit; on a public road it needs the council's, which is arranged for you and shown in your price. A roll-on/roll-off needs one only if it stands on the public highway, which is rare: some councils set a maximum size for a container on the road that a roll-on/roll-off is over, and one is almost always sited on private ground because of the space and the load-bearing the lorry needs. How skip permits work.
Where these figures come from
The sizes, prices and included weights are read from our catalogue, as guide prices for a private-property (driveway) delivery with general mixed waste at a London postcode. The room each lorry needs is a typical figure for UK vehicles; lorries vary, so send a photo of the way in if it looks close.