What items can’t I put in a skip?

19th Sep, 2016

Hiring a skip is part of any big building, landscaping or renovation project, whether at home or at work. It’s important to know exactly what you can put in a skip and what you can’t: skips are for non-hazardous waste only, so we’ve created this simple guide to help you know what’s what before you contact us for a skip hire quote.

Why can’t I put hazardous waste in a skip?

Disposing of hazardous waste is a far trickier business than hiring a skip. If you have hazardous waste to dispose of, you’ll need specialist permits and containers suited to that particular type of waste.

Clinical, medical and biological waste require different treatment from solvents and glues, for example. The one thing all hazardous waste does have in common, though, is that it’s dangerous for people and the environment, which is why you can’t simply through it away.

What items can’t I put in a skip?

Here’s our quick guide to what items you can’t throw in your skip:

❌ Air conditioning units

❌ Asbestos

❌ Batteries

❌ Clinical and medical waste, such as dressings and syringes

❌ Electrical equipment and appliances (WEEE)

❌ Fluorescent tubes

❌ Fridges / freezers

❌ Gas bottles & cylinders

❌ Hazardous and toxic materials

❌ Liquids

❌ Mattresses

❌ Paint/paint tins

❌ Plasterboard

❌ Oil / petrol / diesel

❌ Solvents

❌ Toxic waste

❌ TVs / computer screens

❌ Tyres

What items can I put in a skip?

The following items can be put in one of our skips:

✅ Bricks

✅ Building rubble

✅ Domestic waste such as food and food packaging

✅ Furniture

✅ Furnishings

✅ Fittings (non-electrical)

✅ Foliage

✅ Gas cookers

✅ Hard core

✅ Metal

✅ Plastic

✅ Packaging, including cardboard, plastics, polystyrene

✅ Soil (not contaminated with asbestos or oil)

✅ Solidified paint

✅ Wood

Got a lot of metal? Hire a skip for scrap metal

While you can throw scrap metal into any of our skips for hire, if you’ve got a lot of scrap metal to throw away, it’s worth giving us a call on 0300 100 0028. For loads composed primarily or entirely of scrap metal, we may be able to reduce the cost of your skip hire quote significantly, so talk to one of our customer service team today for more information.

Got an item that’s not on the list? Give us a call

If you need to dispose of items that aren’t on the lists above, and you’re not sure whether you can put them in a skip or not, you can simply phone us on 0300 100 0028 to check.

Whether you’re hiring a skip for home or business, you’re responsible for making sure you don’t include any prohibited items in the load. It’s against the law to mix hazardous and non-hazardous waste, so always make sure you know what you’re throwing away before it goes in the skip!

Are you looking to hire a skip? Skip Hire Network provide the UK’s largest and cheapest skip hire service. Get started by getting an instant skip hire quote online and compare the best skips to hire today!