Skip Hire Cost

Need a skip and want to know how much skip hire prices will be?

The cost to hire a skip will depend on the size you require. Mini skips start at around £90 while large roll-on roll-off skips can cost up to £800.

This guide will help explain everything you should know before hiring a skip and calculate skip hire prices in detail.

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How Much is a Skip to Hire?

Hiring a skip is a great way to get rid of all of your unwanted waste. Skips are often one of the most affordable ways to remove your rubbish.

There are a number of factors that may affect the cost of your skip hire including the size of skip needed, your location, the duration of the hire, and whether you require a permit to hire a skip.

The biggest cost factor when hiring a skip is the size of it. Smaller skips come in at a much lower cost than large skips. This is due to the amount of waste that the skip can contain.

The skip hire company has to take your waste away and dispose of it with a combination of recycling, landfill, and incineration. The more waste there is to dispose of, the bigger the job and so this is why hiring a larger skip can cost quite a bit more than hiring a smaller skip.

The cost for hiring a mini skip for a week costs on average between £90-£130 whereas the cost to hire a large 12-yard skip for the same amount of time costs considerably more at an average of around £250-£440.

Skip Hire Prices

Below is a skip hire price list highlighting the skip prices for different types of skips. As you can see, the skip hire cost varies depending on the size and type of skip that you are looking to hire.

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Labour Costs and Timescales

The labour costs for hiring a skip are usually included within the overall price. The overall price of the skip hire can fluctuate based on varying factors and one of those factors is the cost of labour.

Some companies will charge more than others for the cost of labour. This is why some overall costs appear higher than others. Labour in London is typically priced much higher than labour in the North of the UK.

Running a skip hire business includes hiring people to sort and process the waste that is collected, as well as drive the lorries that transport the skips. This all adds up in the total cost of hiring a skip.

Additional Costs

There are a number of additional costs that you need to consider when hiring a skip. Some of the main additional costs that you may need to think about when hiring a skip are listed below.

• Demolition – Demolition costs vary depending on the size of the project. As an example, the cost to demolish a garage is usually somewhere between £500-£2500
• Garden Waste Removal - Depending on the amount of garden waste that you have and the amount of time it takes to be removed, this should cost on average between £100-£200
• General labour costs – Depending on the type of job and the amount of work needed, a general labourer will usually charge between £8-£15 per hour

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Cost Factors of Hiring a Skip

There are a number of factors that can affect the cost of hiring a skip. Below are the main things that can affect the cost of skip hire in the UK.

Size of the Skip

All skips vary in size – you can expect to pay a lot more for a larger skip than you would for a smaller one. For example, a 2-3-yard mini skip costs on average between £60-£130 whereas an 18-yard skip costs on average between £280-£550.

The price of a larger skip tends to be a lot more due to its ability to hold a lot more waste, and so these skips will require a lot more work from the skip hire company during the waste sorting and disposal phase of the job.

Duration of Skip Hire

Aside from the size of the skip, the duration of the hire is another major factor that will impact the overall cost to hire a skip. The longer you hire the skip for, the more you can expect to pay for the total hire.

So, if you are looking to spend less, you will need to hire your skip for a shorter duration. Despite this, you need to make sure the hire time is enough time for you to completely dispose of all the waste that you need to.

Your Location in the UK

Another factor that can affect the cost of your skip hire is your location within the UK. If you are located in London, you can expect to pay around £50-£350 more on average for your skip hire than you would if you were located in the North of the UK.

Your Waste Materials

A further major factor in the cost of your skip hire is the type of waste that you’re trying to remove. Although the majority of waste materials are allowed, there are a few restricted waste materials that you should be aware of.

If these items are found in your skip by the skip hire company, you may be subject to some extra costs at the skip hire company’s discretion.

Every company has different rules about what is and isn’t allowed to be placed in their skips, so make sure you’re aware of them before you go ahead with the skip hire. As a general rule, most skip hire companies won’t allow the following items:

• Paints, oils and liquids
• Aerosols
• Tyres
• Gas canisters
• Hazardous waste
• Electrical appliances
• Asbestos
• Raw meat products

Permit Requirements

Sometimes you may need a permit to hire a skip – especially when you are planning on placing a skip in a public area. If you want to lay a skip entirely on private land, you usually don’t need any type of permit.

Some councils, however, will require you to get a permit to place a skip on a public road. In most areas, the skip hire company will arrange the permit for you, but some areas require you to sort it out yourself. For more information on skip hire permits, you will need to contact your local council to see what your specific permit requirements are.

What's Involved in Hiring a Skip?

For anyone who hasn’t hired a skip before, it can seem like quite a daunting task. The list below explains the process of hiring a skip and al the steps that you can expect to be involved in a skip hire.

Step One – Contact your local skip hire to make a booking

You should begin your skip hiring process by getting in touch with some local skip hire companies for some quotes. They will be able to offer you plenty of advice on the services that you require and will help you to find the right skip for you. Once you have retrieved your quotes and decided on a suitable company, you should then decide on an appropriate date to hire your skip for.

Step Two – Find the right size

Once you have decided on an appropriate company and date for your skip hire, you will need to contact them to make your booking. They will ask you what size skip you require. If you’re unsure, they will be able to provide advice on the size you need based on the job at hand. 2-8-yard skips are usually ideal for domestic purposes.

Step Three – Check if you need a permit

Most of the time, the skip hire company will deal with whether or not you need a permit. However, if you’re unsure, just ask them. Most skip hire companies will also provide all of the lights, signs, and cones as required by the council rules.

Step Four – Get your skip delivered

Once your skip is delivered, you will want to have it placed on level, reinforced ground to ensure that the land will be able to take the weight of the skip and all of its contents once it has been filled. If you have a decorative driveway, the skip hire company may advise you to place the skip on the road rather than risking damaging your drive.

Step Five – Fill your skip with waste

As soon as your skip has been delivered and placed in its designated spot, you can start filling it with waste. Suitable waste includes gardening waste, furniture, cardboard, bricks, metal, plastic, soil, rubble, and wood. Unsuitable waste would include things such as medical waste, solvents, fuel, tyres, paints, plasterboard, batteries, fluorescent tubes, and asbestos.

Step Six – Have your skip collected

If you have already arranged for a collection date then great, you just need to wait for that date and the skip hire company will come and collect your filled skip and take it away.

If you have an open-ended skip hire, you will simply need to call the company and arrange for your skip to be collected. Companies will aim to collect your skip as soon as possible. Once it has been collected, the skip hire company will sort through your rubbish and sort it into piles for recycling and landfill. They will then dispose of the waste appropriately.

Types of Skip

There are a number of different types of skip and each type is suited to different amounts of waste. Below is a guide to the different types of skips and how many bin bags worth of waste each of these types of skip can hold.

Mini Skip Hire Cost

Mini skips come in the following sizes:

2-3-yard – holds approximately 30+ bin bags of waste - £60-£130

4-5-yard – holds approximately 40+ bin bags of waste - £100-£250

This type of skip is suitable for domestic use and small household projects.

Small Skip Hire Cost

Small skips come in the following sizes:

6-yard – holds approximately 60+ bin bags of waste - £120-£300

8-yard – holds approximately 80+ bin bags of waste - £160-£370

10-yard – holds approximately 100+ bin bags of waste - £180-£400

12-yard - holds approximately 120+ bin bags of waste - £220-£440

This type of skip is suitable for domestic use and medium to large household projects.

Medium/Large Skip Hire Cost

14-yard – holds approximately 145+ bin bags of waste - £220-£460

16-yard – holds approximately 170+ bin bags of waste - £240-£500

18-yard - holds approximately 195+ bin bags of waste - £280-£550

This type of skip is suitable for small to medium commercial projects.

Large Roll-On Roll-Off Skip Hire Cost

20-yard – holds approximately 220+ bin bags of waste - £300-£600

30-yard – holds approximately 330+ bin bags of waste - £320-£650

40-yard – holds approximately 440+ bin bags of waste - £400-£800

This type of skip is suitable for large commercial projects.

Lockable Skip Hire Cost

Lockable skips come in a range of different sizes from 8-16-yards and these can hold between 80-170+ bin bags worth of waste. Lockable skips are the perfect option for when you need to protect the waste that you are disposing of or if you want to ensure that nothing unwanted is added to your skip.

Depending on the size of lockable skip that you choose, you should expect to pay an average of around £200-£600 for this type of skip.

How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Mini Skip?

A mini skip is perfect for disposing of domestic waste for small to medium household projects. This type of skip comes in a few different sizes and typically will hold 30-40 bin bags worth of waste depending on the size that you choose to hire.

Below is a list of mini skip hire costs and sizes:

2-3-yard – holds approximately 30+ bin bags of waste - £60-£130

4-5-yard – holds approximately 40+ bin bags of waste - £100-£250

A mini skip will perfectly fit on a typical driveway, which makes it perfect for when you need to get rid of a larger than usual amount of waste at home.

What Can I Use a Skip for?

Skip hire is an affordable and sensible solution to removing large amounts of waste. It is perfect for when you are renovating your home and house extensions, as all of the waste from the renovation can be disposed of easily together in the skip, and the skip hire company will take the rubbish away. This is a hassle-free solution to removing all of that extra waste that you have.

Below is a list of items that you can usually dispose of in a skip:

• Domestic waste
• Garden waste
• Sofas
• Food packaging
• Furniture
• Mattresses
• Bricks
• Rubble
• Soil
• Polystyrene
• Carpets
• Non-electrical fixtures and fittings
• Plastic
• Metal
• Wood
• Solidified paint
• Cardboard
• Empty tins
• Tiles
• Ceramic

If the waste you are planning to dispose of is not on the list above, you should contact your local skip hire company to check with them. If you use a skip for disposing of prohibited items, you may be subject to extra charges or may even be subject to a fine.

Below is a list of items that are usually not allowed to be disposed of in a skip:

• Fluorescent bulbs
• Batteries
• Electrical equipment
• Appliances
• Tyres
• Medical waste
• Fuel
• Solvents
• Paints
• Asbestos
• Gas cylinders
• Plasterboard

If you place a restricted item in your skip, one of the following things may happen:

• The skip hire company may refuse to collect the skip until you remove the restricted items
• The restricted items may be returned to you
• You may be billed for the correct disposal method as needed for your specific restricted item – you will also be billed for the extra labour that this process includes

Where Can I Put a Skip?

If you have space on your own private land to place your skip, this is your best option as you won’t need to worry about getting a permit.

If you intend to place your skip near a public road, there are a number of regulations that you need to follow. You can’t put a skip on a pavement, but you can place one on a public road providing you have got a permit beforehand and as long as it doesn’t cause any obstructions.

Skips come in a number of sizes, but the most popular skips that are used for domestic purposes tend to be roughly the size of a car. With this in mind, your driveway would be the perfect place to put a skip.

The best places for a skip are level, hard ground. Concrete would be the ideal surface. This is because, as the skip becomes more and more full, it is going to become heavier and heavier, and so it needs to be placed on land that can withstand the weight of the skip and all of its contents.

Do I Need a Council Permit for a Skip?

Before you can place a skip on public land such as a road, you will first need to obtain a permit from your local council. A skip permit exists to control the number of skips that are placed on any given road as they take up a lot of space and can cause disruptions to parking and traffic flow.

If you don't have a permit for a skip placed in a public place, you may be subject to a fine of up to £1000 and the skip may be removed.

Most of the time, skip hire companies will handle the permit for you. If you are unsure about permits, it is worth asking your local skip hire company for more information so that you can be sure you are not going to be subject to any unwanted fines.

Skip permit prices vary depending on your location, but they are usually around £10-£70. Liverpool is the cheapest place to get a budget skip hire permit where the price for one is just £10. London is the most expensive place to get a skip permit at £68.

A skip permit typically lasts for one or two weeks depending on the council that has issued it. Most councils allow for this period to be extended if needed for an additional fee.

If you put a skip on private land such as your own driveway, you usually do not need any kind of permit.

Alternatives to Skip Hire

There are a few alternatives to hiring a skip. Below are two of the most popular skip hire alternatives that can replace a skip.

Skip Bags

Skip bags are a perfect waste removal solution for when you have smaller amounts of waste to remove. Skip bags come in a number of sizes ranging from 1-yard to 4.5-yards. Similar to how a skip works, you fill a skip bag as the waste is being created. Skip bags can be purchased from most DIY shops or online, and once full, they are collected with a grab truck.

Skip bags usually cost on average around £50-£200 depending on the size and the average cost for skip bag collection usually falls between £80-£150 depending on the amount of waste that you have and your location in the UK.

Rubbish Removal Team

Rubbish removal teams can remove large amounts of waste as needed. You will usually be provided with a time slot when the rubbish removal team will attend your property and they will dispose of any items that you want to be collected. A bonus of choosing a rubbish removal team is that they will often collect items that are prohibited in a skip such as appliances.

On average, rubbish removal teams will usually charge somewhere between £100-£500 for a collection service depending on your location and the amount of waste that you are looking to remove.

Hiring a Skip Hire Company

There are some factors that you should consider when choosing a skip hire company. Below are some of the main things that you should consider when choosing the right skip hire company for your skip hire needs.

• How much experience does the company have in letting out skips?
• What time frames are available?
• Be sure to obtain at least 3 quotes from different companies to ensure you are getting a good price for the service needed.
• Ask for a breakdown of costs on the quote so that you can be sure you are paying a good price for each of the different elements of the job.
• Compare quote prices, especially if you are on a budget, to ensure you’re getting cheap skip hire prices and aren’t being overcharged for the job.
• If you need a permit, does the company sort this out for you?
• If you need a permit, does the company provide the appropriate lights and signs as required by your local council?

FAQs

Sources

https://ismwaste.co.uk/skip-hire-guide/things-to-know-before-hiring-a-skip
https://horrockswaste.co.uk/where-can-you-put-a-skip