What Can You Put in a Skip?

Whether you’re moving house, renovating, or thinking about taking on a major de-cluttering project to help breathe some new life into your home, having a skip to throw the old in to can make the job a whole lot simpler.

Hiring a skip means you can get rid of everything at once without worrying about where everything is going to go. But before you have one dropped off in your driveway, have you asked yourself “what can you put in a skip?”

Knowing what can and can’t go in a skip is the only real headache you might face, so let’s take the definitive tour of what’s allowed and what isn’t.

What Can You Put in a Skip

Good news! There’s a lot more than you can put in a skip than there are things you can’t. Generally speaking, if you can’t put things into a skip, it is to protect either you or the environment. Think along the lines of identify theft and recycling, but we’ll get to that later.

Here’s what you can definitely put in a skip:

Wood

Any kind of wood is fine for the skip. Floorboards, joists, window frames, wooden pallets, fence panels, and even the garden shed can all be thrown in.

Bricks, Cement & Rubble

Any work that involves removing old structural work will inevitably result in a lot of rubble. Any old bricks or broken up cement can go in to a general skip.

Glass

If your renovation involves replacing old windows or glass doors, the frames and glass from the old ones can go in to a general skip. Don’t worry about breaking glass in the skip, no one has to individually pick anything out of a skip, so you can just throw it in there.

Electrical cabling

When rewiring, any old, unwanted cabling can go in the skip, but keep in mind, that if you’re pulling out a lot of cables then you can sell the copper as scrap.

Metal

You can dispose of any unwanted metal, be it entire radiators or small pieces of corner edging, in your skip. But just like cabling, you can also take copper pipes to the scrap heap to sell.

Kitchen Renovations

Kitchen refits are big projects that can generate a lot of waste. Old and unwanted kitchen appliances such as ovens, extractors, and hobs can all go in your skip, along with smaller electrical appliances such as microwaves and blenders. All the kitchen units, along with worktop surfaces and old kitchen utensils can all go in the skip.

Bathroom Renovations

Bathroom refits are another job that can create a lot of waste. Any unwanted items such as bathtubs, sinks, toilets, taps, and old showers can all go in the general skip.

Tiles

Kitchen and bathroom renovations will inevitably involve removing a lot of old tiles. Tiles are fine for the general skip but be careful to remove any plasterboard from the tiles first.

Flooring

If you’re replacing old flooring then anything you have to pull up can all go in the skip. Carpets, underlay, laminate flooring, rugs, and lino are all fine for a general skip.

Garden toys and furniture

If you’re clearing out the garden in preparation for some landscaping or just having a general declutter then any unwanted or broken bits from the garden can go in a general skip. This includes old plastic kid’s toys, old garden furniture, the climbing frame, and even the old leaky hose.

Garage or Loft Clear-Outs

While many of us use our garages and loft spaces to collect all those things we’re not ready to get rid of, every now and again there comes a time to make some space. All your old tools, furniture, old baby items and bags of old clothes can go in the skip.

Garden Waste

Landscaping projects or even just getting the garden ready for summer can generate a huge amount of waste. The good news is that most of it can go in the skip. Paving slabs, soil, plant pots, and tree branches all get the go-ahead.

What Can’t You Put in a Skip

Every skip hire company is slightly different so its important to check over their terms and conditions before you start loading your skip.

If you do place restricted items in a skip then the company may charge you for the correct disposal of the items, including an additional fee for any labor/manpower hours. In some cases they will just refuse to take the skip until you remove all of the restricted items, which could take some digging!

Let’s take a look at some common items that most skip-hire companies will refuse to take and alternative disposal methods for them.

Plasterboard

Plasterboard contains sulfate, which means it produces hydrogen sulfide gas when mixed with biodegradable waste. As result plasterboard has to be kept separate. Most companies will offer grab bags or a smaller skip solely for plasterboard.

Computer Monitors & Television Sets

These contain rare earth metals such as yttrium and europium. These metals can be recycled, and as a result they need to be separated from the plastic and glass of electronic appliances. Most waste management sites will accept these electrical items.

Fridges & Freezers

Some of the chemicals found inside fridges and freezers can have a negative effect on the environment. As a result you can either taken them to a waste management site or it’s possible that when buying a new fridge or freezer, the supplier may offer to take the old one away.

Gas Bottles

Even an empty gas bottle has the potential to explode. So these should never be put in a skip. Most manufacturers will offer a money-back for returning used gas bottles as they can be reused.

Batteries, Paint, Fuel & Other Toxic Liquids

Any liquids should be disposed of separately, but especially anything that is flammable or toxic. Most waste management centers will have the means to dispose of them safely for you.

Tires

Tires can be recycled into new tires, asphalt, and aggregate for concrete products. Skip hire companies will often charge extra for tires, so its important to check with them first.

Out With the Old and in With the New

If you were wondering “what can you put in a skip?” Now you know. Do be careful with any old documents you might be throwing out, as although the skip hire company will take them, it does put you at risk of identity theft. We strongly recommend shredding or burning them.

If there’s any doubt of exactly what you can or can’t put in your skip then a quick phone call to your skip supplier will put your mind at ease.

For further information on the home/building industry please take a look at the rest of our site.