Skip Price Guide – How much to pay for a skip
Guide to skip prices in the UK. How much you should expect to pay and why.
How much should it cost to hire a skip? This blog covers regional differences and other factors that impact the skip hire price. It has the following sections:
- Skip prices - what is the basic price and why
- Council skip hire permits - the extra you pay if the skip is on the road
- How to save money - saving money on skip hire
- Skip hire alternatives - sometimes it's cheaper to use another disposal solution
1. Basic Skip hire price
Skip hire prices vary, and to calculate, you will need to look at all the factors below that affect the cost of skip hire.
a. Region
Where you are in the UK will affect the skip hire price. Below is a table of major cities in the UK and the average price of a 6 yard skip including VAT.
Skip price by city
| Location | 6-yard skip |
| UK Average | £240 |
| 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 |
Source: LoveJunk
b. Duration of hire
The duration of time that you need the skip will affect the skip price. The typical length of skip hire is between 7 and 14 days. You can hire a skip for longer but this may result in an additional charge.
c. Size of skip
Skips come in the following sizes: 2 Yards, 4 Yards, 6 Yards, 8 Yards and 12 Yards. Larger skips are more costly and hold a lot more weight.
d. Waste type
What kind of waste type you are using the skip for will determine the skip price. Heavier, bulkier messy waste may require more room and therefore a larger skip hire.
2. Council permits
In addition to the basic skip price, if you place the skip on the road you need to pay the local council for a skip permit. The average UK skip permit price is £41. Skip permit prices vary throughout the UK. Below is a table of skip permit fees for councils in major cities within the UK.
Skip permit prices in UK
| Region | Charge |
| Birmingham | £22 |
| Bristol | £65 |
| Edinburgh | £29 |
| Essex | £63 |
| Exeter | £60 |
| Leeds | - |
| Liverpool | £25 |
| London (average | £73 |
| Luton | £35 |
| Manchester | £32 |
| Newcastlet | £31.50 |
| Nottingham | £36 |
| Southampton | £26.50 |
3. How to save money on skips
- Hire the correct size of skip for the job. Hiring a skip that's too small will mean you will have to pay overloading charges, or hire another one. Hiring a skip that's too large will mean you have paid for thin air!
- Ensure that you know what is prohibited and accepted in a skip before hiring one. Please read our ultimate skip guide for a more detailed analysis.
4. Skip hire alternatives
- Use your local council bulky waste collection service.
- Take a trip to your household waste recycling centre.
- Use a licensed man & van waste collector. You can find a good one on LoveJunk . Below are some typical collection prices paid which generally are quite a cheaper than skip prices.
Tiles, Plasterboard, Wood, £175
Builders waste & kitchen units for collection, £250
40-50 bags of rubble and soil, £160
