You’ve hired a skip for your house clearance. It arrives Monday morning, and by Tuesday afternoon you’ve realized three things: it’s the wrong size, half your waste can’t go in it, and you might need a permit you don’t have. Now you’re paying for extra collections, hiring a second skip, or worse, dealing with the council.
This happens more often than you’d think. Here’s what actually goes wrong and how to avoid it.
1. Guessing the Size Instead of Measuring Your Waste
Most people look at their pile of rubbish, think “that looks like a medium amount,” and order a 6-yard skip. Then the skip arrives and they’ve either got a skip half empty or bags of rubbish left over with nowhere to put them. The problem is our brains are terrible at estimating volume.
How to actually size a skip:
Count your bags and boxes first. A standard 6-yard skip holds roughly 60-70 black bin bags. An 8-yard skip takes about 80-90 bags. Doing a kitchen renovation with units and appliances? You’re looking at an 8-yard minimum. Full house clearance? Start at 12-yard and work up from there.
| Skip Size | Capacity | What It Actually Holds | Best For |
| 4-yard (mini) | 40-50 bin bags | Small bathroom refit, garden clearance | Small projects, limited space |
| 6-yard | 60-70 bin bags | Single room clearance, small renovation | Most common domestic jobs |
| 8-yard | 80-90 bin bags | Kitchen refit, large garage clearout | Medium renovation projects |
| 12-yard | 120-140 bin bags | Full house clearance, major renovation | Large projects, multiple rooms |
When you’re between sizes, go bigger. The cost difference is usually minimal compared to hiring a second skip or paying for an extra collection.
Read: How To Choose A Skip And How Much Should I Expect To Pay For Hire?
2. Not Checking What You Actually Can’t Put In
Skips aren’t just big bins where anything goes. There are strict rules about hazardous materials, and drivers can legally refuse to collect skips containing banned items. You still pay for the hire period, but you’re left with a full skip you now need to empty yourself.
Items you absolutely cannot put in a skip:
Asbestos, batteries, fluorescent tubes, fridges and freezers, gas canisters, televisions and monitors, paint tins with wet paint, tyres, medical waste, and anything electrical that contains harmful substances. These items need specialist disposal because they’re either toxic, explosive, or contain materials that contaminate other waste.
The fridge catches people out constantly. You can’t just chuck your old fridge in a skip because the refrigerant gases need professional extraction. Same goes with that old TV from the garage. Electrical waste goes to dedicated recycling centers, not general waste skips.
If you’re not sure whether something can go in, ask before you hire. AR Richards can tell you exactly what’s allowed and where to take the stuff that isn’t. It’s a much better conversation to have before the skip arrives than after.
3. Overfilling and Hoping Nobody Notices
There’s always someone who thinks they can pack just a bit more in and get away with it. They stack waste above the skip rim, balancing precariously, convinced the driver will shrug and take it anyway.
The driver won’t take it. Not because they’re being difficult, but because it’s illegal. Overloaded skips are dangerous on the road. Waste can fly off during transport, causing accidents. If the skip’s loaded higher than the sides, it’s not going anywhere until you remove the excess.
You’ve now wasted a day, you’re removing waste you’ve already loaded, and you still need to dispose of what’s left over. All to avoid hiring a slightly bigger skip or booking a second collection.
The skip level rule is simple: waste must sit below the top rim of the skip. If you can’t close an imaginary lid across the top, it’s overloaded. Pack efficiently by breaking down boxes, crushing where possible, and placing heavy items at the bottom. But if you’re running out of space, stop and arrange a second collection rather than piling it higher.
4. Parking It Somewhere Illegal
Your skip gets delivered and the driver asks where you want it. You point to the road outside your house because that’s the most convenient spot. The driver leaves, you fill the skip, and two days later there’s a council enforcement notice on your door threatening fines.
If your skip is on the public road, you need a permit. Not just “probably should get one,” you legally must have one. Councils enforce this strictly because improperly placed skips cause traffic problems and accidents. Permits cost money and take time to arrange, often several days minimum.
Where you can put a skip without a permit:
On your driveway, in your front garden (if you own it), or on any private property you have permission to use. The entire skip must be on private land, not partially on the pavement or overhanging into the road.
If you must put it on the road because you have no driveway or front garden, apply for the permit before you book the skip. AR Richards can often arrange permits on your behalf, but we need time to process them. Last-minute skip bookings that need road permits usually mean delays or having to place the skip somewhere less convenient temporarily.
Also consider your neighbors. That perfectly legal spot on your driveway might block their access or make it impossible for them to get their bins out. A quick conversation beforehand saves a week of awkward encounters and potential disputes.
Read: How Big is a 12-Yard Skip?
5. Booking It for Too Short a Period
You estimate your house clearance will take a weekend, so you book the skip for three days to save money. Saturday goes well. Sunday it rains and you get nothing done. Monday you’re back at work. Tuesday you’re frantically trying to finish in the evening. Wednesday morning the skip gets collected half full because your hire period ended, and you’ve still got waste sitting in your garage.
This happens constantly. Projects take longer than planned. The weather interferes. Life gets in the way. Booking the minimum hire period to save a few pounds often means you either don’t finish or you rush and make mistakes.
Standard skip hire periods:
Most skips come with a one to two week hire period included. You can usually extend for a small daily fee, but you need to arrange this before the collection date. Once the skip’s been collected, arranging a return delivery costs significantly more than just booking the right period from the start.
Be realistic about your timeline. If you’re working around a full-time job, book at least a week even for small projects. Doing a full renovation? Two weeks minimum. The daily cost of keeping it longer is minimal compared to the hassle and expense of arranging a second skip.
6. Not Protecting Your Driveway
Heavy skips damage surfaces. A loaded skip can weigh several tons, and when it’s placed on your block paving or tarmac, that weight can crack, dent, or permanently mark the surface. People often don’t think about this until the skip’s removed and they’re left with visible damage.
Protective measures that actually work:
Use wooden boards or scaffold planks under the skip to distribute the weight. A sheet of plywood isn’t enough for a fully loaded skip. You need something at least 2 inches thick that spreads the load across a wider area.
If you’ve got expensive block paving or a new resin driveway, consider whether the road placement with a permit might actually be the cheaper option compared to potential surface repairs. Sometimes protecting your investment property is worth the extra hassle of permit arrangements.
7. Hiring During Peak Times Without Booking Ahead
It’s bank holiday weekend and you’ve finally got time to clear the garage. You call Friday afternoon to book a skip for Saturday delivery. Every company is fully booked. Your three-day weekend is now a wasted opportunity because you didn’t plan ahead.
Skip companies get slammed during bank holidays, good weather weekends in spring and summer, and the post-Christmas clear-out period in early January. If you’re planning a project during these times, book at least two weeks in advance, ideally a month for major bank holidays.
8. Mixing Waste Types and Losing Money
You’ve hired a general waste skip and filled it with garden waste, building rubble, and household items all mixed together. This seems efficient until you realize mixed waste costs more to process because it all goes to landfill instead of being recycled.
Some waste types can be separated and recycled, which costs less to dispose of and is better for the environment. Garden waste skips are cheaper than general waste skips. Hardcore and rubble skips are priced differently than mixed construction waste. If your waste is mostly one type, hiring a specific skip for it saves money.
Common skip categories:
| Waste Type | What Goes In | Cost Benefit |
| General waste | Household items, furniture, general rubbish | Standard pricing |
| Garden waste | Soil, plants, branches, grass cuttings | Usually cheaper |
| Hardcore/rubble | Bricks, concrete, tiles, ceramics | Priced by weight |
| Mixed construction | Building waste, packaging, general site waste | Standard to high pricing |
Ask what type of skip you need based on what you’re throwing away. If you’re doing landscaping, a garden waste skip might be half the price of a general waste skip for the same size.
9. Not Reading the Terms and Conditions
You book a skip online, tick the terms and conditions box without reading it, and then get surprised by charges you weren’t expecting. Maybe there’s a weight limit you’ve exceeded. Maybe you hired it for a weekend rate that doesn’t include bank holidays. Maybe the cancellation policy means you’re paying for a skip you no longer need.
Every skip company has different terms. Some include permits in their pricing, others charge separately. Some allow extensions easily, others have strict collection schedules. Weight limits vary. Prohibited items lists can differ slightly. Taking five minutes to read what you’re agreeing to prevents expensive surprises later.
10. Choosing Based on Price Alone
The cheapest quote seems like the obvious choice until the skip arrives late, the customer service is terrible, they refuse to take waste that other companies would accept, or they add unexpected charges after collection. You’ve saved a tenner but created a week of stress and hassle.
Skip hire isn’t just about the container. It’s about reliability, flexibility, clear communication, and dealing with problems when they arise. A company that answers the phone, adjusts collection times when you need it, and gives honest advice about sizing and waste types is worth paying slightly more for.
What You Really Need to Know
Most skip hire problems come down to poor planning and not asking the right questions before you book. Measure your waste properly, understand what can and can’t go in, get any necessary permits sorted, and book the skip for longer than you think you’ll need.
When you call AR Richards, we’ll ask you what you’re disposing of, help you work out the right size, explain what needs permits, and tell you honestly what the process involves.
Need a skip? Get in touch with AR Richards for honest advice and transparent pricing. We’ll help you work out exactly what you need before you commit to anything.
