What can go in a skip
General household junk, furniture, garden waste, bricks, rubble, timber and most renovation materials can all go in a skip. What matters is that the load matches the waste type you chose, because that decides how it is handled once it leaves you.
These are the waste types you can book a skip for today. Pick the one that describes most of the load; mixed loads are the most common.
| Waste type | Which skips |
|---|---|
| General / Mixed Waste | Any size |
| Mixed Construction & Demolition | Any size |
| Soil / Subsoil | Skips of 8 yards or less |
| Hardcore / Rubble | Skips of 8 yards or less |
| Wood | Any size |
| Green / Garden Waste | Any size |
| Metal | Any size |
| Plasterboard | In a skip of its own |
| Cardboard / Paper | Any size |
What has to be declared when you book
These can go in, but only if you declare them when you book. Each is handled separately at the facility, so each is priced as its own line before you pay.
| Item | Why it is handled separately |
|---|---|
| Car Tyre | Tyres cannot go to landfill; they go to a tyre recycler. |
| Commercial Fridge | It has its own disposal route at the facility. |
| Domestic Fridge | The refrigerant gas has to be removed before the unit is recycled. |
| Double Mattress | It has its own disposal route at the facility. |
| Mattress | It is taken apart and processed on its own. |
| POPs upholstered furniture | The foam and fabric can contain persistent organic pollutants, so it is incinerated separately. |
If one turns up in the load undeclared it is still charged. We tell you what was found and what it costs before charging it.
What never goes in a skip
No booking can include these. Each needs its own route, and we can usually point you to it.
| Never in a skip | Why |
|---|---|
| Asbestos | Hazardous waste — a licensed carrier and its own consignment note. |
| Explosives, flares and ammunition | Never safe to tip — they go to a specialist. |
| Clinical or medical waste | It has its own licensed clinical-waste collection. |
| Animal or human waste | A health hazard, with its own disposal route. |
| Loose or leaking liquids, solvents and chemicals | Liquid waste cannot go to landfill, and most of it is hazardous. |
| Fuels and oils | Flammable, and barred from landfill as a liquid. |
| Treated railway sleepers and lead-painted timber | Creosote and old lead paint make them hazardous waste. |
| Household and lithium batteries | A fire risk in a tipped load, with their own recycling route. |
Plasterboard goes in a skip of its own
Plasterboard cannot be mixed with general waste: in landfill alongside other rubbish it gives off hydrogen sulphide. Book plasterboard as its own waste type and keep it out of the rest of the load.
Soil, rubble and concrete have a size limit
Heavy waste is welcome, but in the smaller skips only: soil / subsoil and hardcore / rubble go in skips of 8 yards or less. The limit is weight, not space. A large skip full of soil is more than the lorry can lift.
Carpet, roofing felt and paint
- Carpet and roofing felt are fine in small amounts. Where they make up more than about a tenth of the load there is an extra charge, so tell us before you book and we will price it.
- Empty, dry paint tins are fine in general waste.
- Tins with paint still in them: ask us before you book.
- Loose or leaking liquid of any kind never goes in.
What happens if the wrong thing goes in
| What is found | What happens |
|---|---|
| The load is not the waste type that was booked | It is weighed at the facility and re-charged at the correct rate. |
| An item that should have been declared | It is charged. We tell you what was found and what it costs first. |
| Something from the never list | The skip can be left where it is until the item is removed, and a wasted journey costs £60. |
How to load a skip
- Keep the load level with the sides. A skip heaped above the rim cannot be carried on the road.
- Put the heaviest items at the bottom and spread the weight.
- No fires in the skip.
- Nothing that could fall out on the way.
Cage vans and grab lorries take less
A cage van takes light waste only: bags, boxes, packaging, furniture and light timber. It cannot take soil, bricks, rubble, plasterboard or anything that could leak. See cage vans.
A grab lorry takes loose material only: soil, hardcore, rubble, broken concrete and green waste. It cannot take bagged or mixed household rubbish, because its arm loads by the bucketful. See grab hire.
Where this comes from
The waste types and the items to declare are read from our live catalogue when the page loads: they are what the booking offers today. The never list and the loading rules are those of our Acceptable Waste Policy, which is part of our terms.