If you’ve never hired a skip before, there are a few things to know. Hiring a skip is a fantastic, cost-effective, and easy way to have a good old clear-out and make your home feel fresher and more spacious!
Did you know that skip companies are charged for each run to the landfill that they do? That is why skip companies encourage recycling and reusing as much as the rest of us. Before throwing items in the skip, consider whether they are in good enough condition for someone else to benefit from their use. Could you reuse it for a different purpose or give it to a local charity shop instead? For items you don’t want to part with but don’t want to store, consider Self Storage Dudley at https://www.anchorselfstorage.co.uk/self-storage/dudley
There are some items that you most definitely can’t dispose of in a skip, including medical waste, fridges, solvents, televisions, tyres, batteries (household or vehicle), bleach, asbestos, and any oil. You also can’t dispose of compressed gas cylinders, computers, microwaves, or plasterboard.
Overfilling a skip is possible, so ensure you get one that will fulfil your waste disposal needs. Your skip must have a ‘level load,’ or the hiring company could refuse to remove it and charge you more.
Some people try to put very odd items into skips. Skip collectors have found a complete caravan perched on top of a skip, letters from the Second World War, wedding dresses, expensive ceramic vases, ashes in urns, and even a coffin!
Some individuals even participate in an activity known as ‘skip diving’ and can salvage hundreds of items ranging from clothing, furniture, and laptops to packaged food, shoes, and toys. Just about anything might turn up in a skip, and often it’s in pretty good condition. While skip diving is legal, it can be frowned on, and if you want to take something from a skip, it’s always polite to ask first. It’s not stealing, as the person has relinquished ownership of the item, but you could still fall foul of the law for trespassing.
If you don’t have the access required for a skip lorry to place a skip right in front of your home, you must put it on the road. Before doing this, you will need to obtain a skip-hire permit, and if it’s being placed in a controlled parking area, you will also require a parking suspension. Be aware that both will take a few days to arrange and will cost extra.