Skip Hire - How to Save Money When Hiring a Skip

Hiring a skip is something that most businesses and households will have to do at some point or another. Whether its due to a spring clean, decorating, building an extension or tidying the garden, there are a number of things you can do to help reduce the cost of skip hire (and in many cases help the environment in the process).

Can your waste be reused?

Before throwing away old furniture such as sofas, tables and chairs, think whether they could be of benefit to somebody else? Obviously if the furniture is badly broken or is in very bad repair, this may not be the case. But many people throw away perfectly good and usable furniture just because they are replacing it with newer items. If this is the case you could try selling the items (such as on ebay or through your local free paper) or give the items away for free.

There are a number of charities and community projects throughout the UK which will collect unwanted furniture and electrical items free of charge. These items are checked, refurbished if necessary, and then distributed to shelters for homeless people, people on low incomes, etc. A quick search on google will usually find a charity or community project which operates in your area. If not your local council should be able to provide the details. Examples includes Emmaus, and Newport Wastesavers.

Does you local council provide a collection service for bulky items?

If your bulky items cannot be reused, your local council may be able to collect them for you either free of charge or for a nominal fee. Even if a fee is required, this will usually be a lot cheaper than the equivalent cost of placing the items in a skip. For example, Huntingdonshire District Council will collect 6 items or less for £23.70 (including VAT). This can include a bed, a settee, a chair, a cooker, etc. Even if you tried to break down the items as much as possible, six bulky items would still take up the majority of space in a 6-8 cubic yard builders skip (generally costing around £160). Therefore using your council to collect such items can save you a lot of money. Often they will also collect items that you cannot normally place into a skip, such as fridges and freezers.

What size skip to choose?

When choosing a skip many people go by the price of the skip rather than the actual size. Of course, budget is an important aspect, but it is false economy if having ordered the smallest and cheapest skip possible, you then have to order another skip to dispose of the rest of your waste. Not only will this cost you more money in the long run, but it also has a greater impact on the environment, as the same job will require double the amount of transportation.

Where to place the skip?

Although in some cases this may not be an option, deciding where to place the skip may cost you more money. This is because if you want to place a skip on a public highway (which includes grass verges, paths, etc.) the majority of councils will require you to have a permit. In most cases your skip hire company will take care of this on your behalf, but the cost of this will be passed on to you. The cost of this varies but is generally around £10-20 extra per week. The cost of the permit often increases after the initial weeks hire to try to prevent skips being left on the road for long durations. Therefore if your skip has to be positioned on the road, it is a good idea to get the bulk of your rubbish ready before hiring the skip to prevent having to pay any excess permit charges.