Skip Hire Guide
Need to hire a skip? Here's what you need to consider
If you need a big container to put all your rubbish before it's taken away, you'll probably want to hire a skip. They are particularly good for messy waste like soil, bricks, rubble and tiles. In this blog, we cover all you need to know about skip hire, from skip sizes, skip prices, prohibited items and skip hire alternatives.
- Skip hire sizes
- Skip hire price
- How high can I load a skip?
- Skip location - on-road or off-road
- Skip permits and CPZ suspensions
- Prohibited items - what can I put in a skip?
- Skip hire alternatives
1) Skip hire sizes
The main sizes of skip for hire are 4 cubic yards, 6 cubic yards, 8 cubic yards and 12 cubic yards. The most popular is a six cubic yard skip, sometimes called builders skip because builders use it so frequently. For a deeper look into skip sizes and which one would be best suited for your bulky waste removal project, please read our comprehensive guide.
Table of skip sizes, their dimensions and what they can hold
| Skip size | Dimensions | Wheelie bins equivalent | Bin bags equivalent | Best for.. |
| 4 Yards | H: 1m, L: 1.8m, W 1.3m | 8 wheelie bins | 30-40 bin bags | Bikes, small fridges, Tv's, small sofas and chairs |
| 6 Yards | H: 1.2m, L: 2.6m, W 1.5m | 12 wheelie bins | 50-60 bin bags | Moderate amounts of bulky waste – kitchen, bathroom, and home renovations. |
| 8 Yards | H: 1.2m, L: 3.7m, W 1.7m | 16 wheelie bins | 70-80 bin bags | Clearing entire house or major renovation work |
| 12 Yards | H: 1.7m, L: 3.7m, W 1.8m | 24 wheelie ins | 100-120 bin bags | Large projects and, general construction waste |
Source: LoveJunk December 2021
2. Skip hire prices
Skip hire prices vary by region but they tend to be costly. Hiring a skip is likely to cost 50% - 150% more than using a man & van waste contractor to remove the waste instead. This is partly because it has a higher logistical cost. The skip vehicle comes to your site twice - once to drop it off and once to pick it up.
Reasons for these differences in rates between regions include:
- the cost of labour and rent
- cost of disposal, including proximity to a landfill site
- quality and cost of council bulky waste collection service
- strength of the local economy
- competitive landscape in that area
- congestion/traffic
Prices vary, but expect to pay £250 - £300 inc VAT to hire a skip for a week or so as a rough guide. For a more in-depth look into skip prices, please see our blog. We also cover skip hire costs specifically to London.
Table of average 6-yard skip hire price by city (incl VAT)
| Location | 6-yard skip |
| UK Average | £240 |
| price includes VAT | |
| Birmingham | £200 |
| Bournemouth | £275 |
| Brighton | £240 |
| Bristol | £245 |
| Cambridge | £210 |
| Cardiff | £245 |
| Chester | £200 |
| Doncaster | £195 |
| Edinburgh | £185 |
| Exeter | £275 |
| Glasgow | £210 |
| Gloucester | £240 |
| Hemel Hempstead | £235 |
| Ipswich | £225 |
| Leeds | £175 |
| Leicester | £215 |
| Liverpool | £185 |
| London | £270 |
| Luton | £275 |
| Manchester | £210 |
| Middlesbrough | £240 |
| Milton Keynes | £250 |
| Newcastle | £235 |
| Northampton | £185 |
| Norwich | £210 |
| Nottingham | £195 |
| Oxford | £260 |
| Portsmouth | £255 |
| Reading | £245 |
| Sheffield | £195 |
| Southampton | £290 |
| Swindon | £255 |
| Tunbridge Wells | £245 |
| York | £185 |
3. How high can I load a skip
It is often confusing to know exactly how high you can load a skip. In general, the waste should not exceed the height of the skip. Overloading a skip is tempting but it is unsafe to passers-by as these bulky items are not secure and could fall off and cause injury. Also, if too overloaded, your skip could be refused removal, and you could be charged for the inconvenience.
Top tips for loading a skip
- Break up items so they can fill the gaps between bulkier items
- Put the lightweight objects - like cardboard and cabinet doors - along the bottom of the skip
- Put heavy items on top to compress the lighter items as this saves
4) Skip location
The skip location makes a difference to its overall cost, both geographically (what region you are in) and whether your skip is on-road or off-road.
a) off-road skips
Off-road means the skip is parked and placed on private property that is away from the road. For example, in a driveway, garden or field and these do not require a permit.
b) on-road skips
On-road however means the skip is parked on a public road, roadside or pavement. On-road skips cost extra because they require a skip permit from the council. In addition, on-road skips may require a CPZ suspension in advance from the council.
5) Skip permits and CPZ suspensions near me
Skip hire permits were created by councils to stop skips from being left on roads forever. It is likely you will need one when hiring a skip. Plus, if your road is a controlled parking zone, you will also have to pay extra for a bay suspension.
The cost of a skip permit varies by:
- The regulations of the local council you are in
- Length of time you want to leave the skip on the road.
Average skip permit prices UK city per week
| Region | Charge |
| Birmingham skip permit | £22 |
| Bristol skip permit | £65 |
| Edinburgh skip permit | £29 |
| Essex skip permit | £63 |
| Exeter skip permit | £60 |
| Leeds skip permit | - |
| Liverpool skip permit | £25 |
| London skip permit (average) | £73 |
| Luton skip permit | £35 |
| Manchester skip permit | £32 |
| Newcastle skip permit | £31.50 |
| Nottingham skip permit | £36 |
| Southampton skip permit | £26.50 |
Source: LoveJunk January 2022
How do skip permits work?
- The skip supplier applies for the permit, and that additional cost is added to your overall hire price.
- If the location in which you require the skip is within a controlled parking zone (e.g. residents' permit or pay & display), a CPZ suspension is also required. CPZ suspension fees also vary by length of time and local council regulations.
- The skip supplier will arrange the CPZ suspensions and will just charge you extra.
What are the rules around skip permits?
The permit will be given if the skip complies with the following rules and conditions:
- The skip cannot be sticking out into the road
- You must not leave any waste from the skip laying on the road
- The skip needs appropriate lighting and traffic cones around the skip
- Skip needs to be coated in paint to make it visible to oncoming traffic
- Check the skip dimensions required for the region you are in. For example, Hammersmith and Fulham council require skips to be no longer than 5 metres and no wider than 2 metres
- Skip must be removed at the end of the licence period
6) Prohibited items - what can I put in a skip
You cannot put hazardous or harmful items into a skip. These include but are not limited to TVs, computer monitors, asbestos, tyres, fridges, paint and paint tins (unless empty), plasterboard, batteries, medical waste, gas cylinders, liquids, solvents, oil, petrol, diesel and explosives.
Table of prohibited skip items
| Item | Can I put this in a skip? |
| Paint Tins | No, you can’t put paint tins in a skip unless they are completely empty. If you have tins with paint inside, contact your local council for disposal advice |
| Mattresses | If you put a mattress into your skip, you will be charged extra at the time of collection to cover the skip operator’s additional costs. Prices vary by postcode. |
| Fridges & freezers | You cannot put a fridge in our skips. Some councils offer a free collection service for these items |
| Plasterboard | Legislation covering plasterboard or gypsum waste, states that it must be separated from other general waste |
| Tyres | Tyres cannot be put in skips |
| Electrical equipment | No, electrical equipment cannot be but in our skips as it is controlled by the WEEE directive |
| TV's | No, televisions or computer monitors cannot be put in skips |
| Asbestos | You cannot put asbestos in a standard skip and it cannot be re-used or recycled under any circumstances |
| Batteries | No, batteries cannot be put in skips |
| Medical waste | No, medical waste cannot be put in skips |
| Liquids, gas cylinders & solvents | No, liquids, gas cylinders & solvents cannot be put in skips |
| Diesel, petrol and explosives | No, diesel, petrol and explosives cannot be put in skips |
7. Skip hire alternatives
If you have bulky waste you need to dispose of, and you cant / don't want to hire a skip, you have three options:
- Use a Hippobag. These are essentially small skips, so a good option, if you have less rubbish to dispose of and don't want the hassle of skip hires and permits. Once you have filled it you can then pay a local man & van rubbish clearance company to collect and empty it. Check out our complete guide hippo bag collection for full info.
- Depending on the size and weight of the waste you are trying to dispose of, you could take a trip to your local household waste recycling centre.
- Use LoveJunk to find your cheapest (and closest!) available waste collector. In most regions skip hire is often a lot more expensive than hiring a man & van to dispose of your waste. Many councils recommend us. Check us out! We also have a how to dispose of rubbish guide, which has details on every way you could get rid of your junk.
Recent examples of rubbish cleared via the LoveJunk Marketplace
Tiles, Plasterboard, Wood, £175
Builders waste & kitchen units for collection, £250
40-50 bags of rubble and soil, £160
