What can I put into a skip?

Skips are ideal in a range of situations, whether you’re clearing out junk from your home or removing waste after a DIY project. Not only are they highly convenient and available in different sizes to meet your needs, but they’re also very affordable too. However, you may find yourself asking the question of ” What can I put into a skip?”, so before arranging skip hire in Rotherham or Barnsley, we recommend finding out what you can and can’t place into a skip. 

Items that can be put in a skip

One of the biggest benefits of skips is that you can place many different unwanted items into them. You can easily dispose of most things, as long as they’re non-hazardous and not harmful to the environment. Permitted items include: 

• Wood 
• Hardened paint
• Soil
• Garden waste
• Rubble
• Cardboard
• Plastic
• Polystyrene
• Metal
• Bricks
• Furniture
• Domestic waste
• Food packaging
• Non-electrical fittings
• Gas cookers (check with your skip hire company)

The list of items that can be disposed of in skips in Rotherham and Barnsley is extensive. So, it’s likely that a skip will meet your rubbish removal needs in most cases. If you need to dispose of something that’s not on this list, simply contact your skip hire firm to ask if it’s permitted. At Beta Skips, we’re always on hand to provide guidance on what can and can’t be placed into our skips. 

Restricted items 

Most people think that you can dispose of anything in a skip but that simply isn’t true. There are some items that you can’t put into a skip, and doing so can have big consequences. Although all skip hire companies are different, usually one of the following will happen:

• You’ll be billed for the correct disposal method, including a charge for the extra labour
• The skip hire firm will refuse to collect the skip until you’ve removed the items. This could involve some serious digging on your part
• The restricted objects will be returned to you

Don’t risk putting prohibited items into a skip. There are likely to be alternative ways of disposing of them safely and legally. For example, you could ask your local car garage to take your old battery or contact the Tyre Recovery Association to help you find a collector for your old tyres. Some charities may be able to accept electricals that can’t go in a skip but are still in working order, including fridges.

Here is the list of items that can’t go in a skip:

• Car batteries. You can’t put larger batteries such as those from cars into a skip. These batteries contain harmful chemicals, including lead. This means they must be recycled separately, ideally using be recycled using dedicated collection boxes. You can often find these boxes in supermarkets. You can also ask your local garage to take old car batteries.
• Gas cylinders. Whether they’re full or empty, you can’t place gas cylinders into a skip. The residual contents can be dangerous, so you’ll need to find an alternative method to dispose of them. The good news is that some local authorities will accept them at household waste recycling centres.
• Electrical appliances. Many electrical appliances, including computer monitors, TVs, fridges, freezers, and dishwashers can’t be disposed of in a skip. All waste electricals (WEEE) must to taken to a WEEE registered recycling facility. 
• Asbestos. You must not place this harmful material in a skip. There are laws in place that make it illegal to reuse, recycle or dispose of asbestos improperly. Asbestos must always be removed and disposed of by specialist contractors.
• Fuels, paints, and solvents. These substances contain hazardous chemicals that are potentially combustible. In some cases, handling them could even lead to chemical burns occurring. As a result, skip companies aren’t licensed to take them. If you need to dispose of fuels, paints, or solvents, you should take them to a licenced waste plant. Hardened paint is allowed in skips since it doesn’t post the same risk.

These items also cannot go into skips:

• Clinical waste. Medical waste including surgical tools, biological products, and drug leftovers can’t be put into a skip. Not only can this waste be infectious, but it can also cause harm to the environment. Only fully licenced firms should remove clinical waste.
• Plasterboard. This material often needs to be disposed of after renovations and building work within the home or on commercial sites. However, you can’t put plasterboard into a skip. There are stringent rules on the matter since the material contains such high levels of potentially hazardous sulphates. Your disposal options include finding a plasterboard recycling centre in your area or passing the waste on to a licensed waste carrier that’s permitted to collect plasterboard.
• Tyres. Many skip hire companies will refuse to take tyres since disposing of them is so challenging. Councils often don’t accept them at local tips either. You could ask the Tyre Recovery Organisation to help you find your nearest tyre collection firm. You can also ask your tyre fitter to dispose of them for you when they change your tyres.
• Fluorescent bulbs. Since fluorescent bulbs contain toxic substances like mercury, you can’t put them in a skip. You may need to call the local council to help you find recycling centres which take them. 

As you can see, there are rules surrounding what you can and can’t put into skips in Barnsley and Rotherham. Although you can put most things into a skip, some items are prohibited due to their potential to cause harm to people or the environment. Putting restricted items into a skip won’t just delay the rubbish removal process. It could also land you extra charges or a fine. 

Contact us 

To discuss your rubbish removal needs, don’t hesitate to contact Beta Skips. Phone us on 01709 645038 (Rotherham) or 01226 979027 (Barnsley). Alternatively, send us a message via our website at any time. Our services are competitively priced and we can provide a same-day service if required.