What You Should and Shouldn’t Put In A Skip

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prohibited materials guide

If you need to dispose of a large amount of waste, skip hire is the most efficient and affordable way to do it. On top of that, it can be a great relief to leave the waste management to the professionals — dispose of the hassle alongside your waste!

However, before you hire a skip, it’s important to know what you can and can’t put in it. While most items and materials are perfectly fine to go in a skip, there are a few you should watch out for. Most of these items need to be treated in a particular way, so they aren’t suitable to go in with your general waste.

What can’t I put in a skip?

Knowing what you can’t put in a skip is essential, because there are consequences for putting a prohibited item in. At best, it might get you some extra charges, but at worst, it might even be illegal. Most prohibited items are hazardous, either for humans or for the environment, which means it’s important you dispose of them properly.

Prohibited items

  • Fluorescent tubes
  • Fluids
  • Gas bottles
  • Medical waste
  • Oil
  • Paint cans
  • Solvents
  • Toxic and hazardous materials

Pre-arrangement required

Some prohibited materials require you to arrange collection:

  • Asbestos
  • Batteries
  • Fridges and freezers
  • Plasterboard
  • Tyres
  • TVs, CRTs, and computer monitors
  • Other Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE)

You can dispose of some of these items in other ways. For example, your local supermarket or petrol station may have a designated place to recycle batteries.

Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment includes anything that needs a battery, plug, or remote to operate. This kind of equipment must be collected by a specialist collection service.

For more information, feel free to check out our skip hire guidelines.

What can I put in a skip?

With the prohibited items out of the way, that leaves the rest: things you can put in a skip.

Household waste

Cardboard, plastic packaging, bottles, newspapers, magazines, and other plastics can all be disposed of in a skip.

The good news is that you don’t have to worry about it going to landfill — we aim to recycle at least 85% of our waste. As part of AKS Group, we’re committed to recycling in Norfolk. This makes skip hire the environmentally-friendly alternative to just taking your rubbish to the tip.

Construction waste

Roofing, electrical wires, nails, metal, and rubble are all examples of construction waste, and are safe to put in a skip.

Wood and timber

Items like old/broken furniture, wooden or timber flooring, tree stumps, and tree branches can all be put in a skip.

Garden waste

Renovating your garden? Then you’ll probably have a lot of garden waste. Green waste can be composted at home, but if you’ve got more than you can handle, then garden waste skip hire is a good choice. And your garden waste that goes in a skip ends up as compost anyway

Additionally, skip hire is a great way to dispose of non-biodegradable garden waste such as patio tiles.

Get in touch if you’re not sure

If you’re looking for cheap skip hire in Norfolk or Norwich but you’re still not sure whether your items are safe to go in a skip or not, don’t hesitate to give our team a call today. Our experts can advise you on all aspects of waste management and help you find the best way to dispose of your rubbish. It’s always better to be safe than sorry, and we’re happy to help with your project — just get in touch!

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