| Our research suggests that there are over 17 million | | | | average skip lorry driver's day - it's heavy haulage |
| skips hired in the UK every year for domestic use | | | | we're talking about here, and lots of things can go |
| alone! That's a lot of skips and if you've ever looked | | | | wrong on a pick-up or drop off that will slow down |
| in Yellow Pages you'll see that there are a lot of skip | | | | the whole day's schedule, such as a customer putting |
| companies out there to choose from with no real | | | | toxic waste in a skip, overfilling it, or the driver being |
| way of knowing what kind of service you're going to | | | | given incorrect drop off details by a customer. |
| get before it turns up! | | | | We publish a national trade magazine for the industry |
| If, like us, you've ever hired a skip, chances are you | | | | called "The Skip" ( and through this we are pushing |
| will have had a good experience with a professional, | | | | for more skip companies to incorporate new |
| licensed waste collector with no hassles or grief. | | | | technology like Vehicle Tracking to improve delivery |
| Unfortunately, this is not always the case. If you | | | | schedules and take-up of this kind of improvement is |
| called more than one company before you actually | | | | increasing all the time. |
| hired a skip you may have found that some of them: | | | | In the meantime, you should be patient waiting for |
| - won't quote prices over the phone | | | | your skip because it's rarely a case of deliberately |
| - won't tell you what time it will be dropped off, or | | | | bad customer service. |
| picked up | | | | 4. Why won't they take the skip away if the rubbish |
| - will only accept cash payments to the driver | | | | is just over the fill line? |
| You might have even had a bad experience where | | | | It's not the skip driver being unreasonable - it's the |
| the driver has refused to take away your skip | | | | law! They are legally bound to not carry unsafe loads |
| without throwing some of the rubbish back in your | | | | and unfortunately many people order smaller skips |
| garden, demanded more money before taking it | | | | than they need in order to save a few quid. Our |
| away, damaged your property by bad handling of | | | | advice - order a larger skip than you think you need |
| their wagon and the skip... | | | | because you will always fill it - just don't go over the |
| This guide is for you: It answers all the most | | | | line! |
| common questions associated with skip hire so that | | | | 5. What actually happens to my rubbish when they |
| you know exactly what you're getting into when you | | | | take it away? |
| hire a skip and understand the whys and wherefores | | | | If you're not asking this question, you should be. |
| involved in skip hire so you never have a bad | | | | Landfill space in the UK is running out fast. It is |
| experience...EVER! | | | | estimated that by 2010 there will be virtually no |
| 1. How can I tell which skip companies in the Yellow | | | | landfill space left in Britain and the government is |
| Pages are the good ones? | | | | increasing the landfill taxes that waste management |
| Unless you personally know the company, you can't. | | | | companies have to pay every year. The best skip |
| Any fool with a wagon and a skip can get an advert | | | | companies are investing heavily into new plant and |
| designed and printed to entice you to call them, but | | | | technology to the point that many of them are |
| mainly it's a lottery not just in terms of prices and | | | | recycling over 90%! Using these companies will |
| service, but also in terms of what actually happens to | | | | eventually reduce prices and massively increase |
| your waste - something that depressingly few of us | | | | recycling rates - something we should all be |
| actually think, or even care about. | | | | interested in. |
| Skip companies are not actually regulated at the time | | | | The bottom line is - the cheaper the skip, the less |
| of writing. The good ones operate their own licensed | | | | likely it is that the waste is being responsibly |
| waste transfer stations (regulated by the | | | | managed. |
| Environment Agency) and are members of the | | | | 6. Why won't my local skip company take a credit |
| Institute of Wastes Management (a professional | | | | card or even tell me prices over the phone? |
| body that promotes education and raising standards | | | | This is mainly a historical thing. Most skip hire |
| in waste management). | | | | companies have evolved over the past 25 years |
| The bad ones are just cowboys that often fly-tip | | | | from construction and demolition companies, and the |
| your waste and therefore add to your council tax bill | | | | traditional way they do business is either by issuing |
| - cos the council are the ones who have to clean it | | | | invoices or cash-in-hand! Also, a lot of companies still |
| up! (Flytipping is now costing local councils over | | | | charge for waste disposal by the tonne and won't |
| £2.5 million a year! That's our tax money!) | | | | always quote an exact price because they don't |
| Did you know? "Every 35 seconds, somebody, | | | | know exactly how much it's going to cost them to |
| somewhere is fly-tipping in the UK" | | | | get rid of until it comes in. |
| 2. Why do skips cost so much money? | | | | 7. Why do I get quoted so many different prices for |
| No-one is pretending skip hire is cheap, but think | | | | the same service from different companies? |
| about the overheads involved: | | | | The answer's in the question - you don't get the |
| Skip Wagon £35,000+ | | | | same service from different companies! You get |
| Skips £500/each for standard builderskip | | | | different levels of service from different companies. |
| Vehicle Insurance £2000/year per vehicle | | | | Most of the time, you get what you pay for. After |
| Public Liability £1250/year per vehicle | | | | you've had a bad experience, you'll wonder whether |
| Employer's Liability £1250/year per vehicle | | | | it really was worth saving £20 by going with |
| Skip Wagon driver £25,000/year | | | | the cheapest you could find. |
| Fuel £20,000/year | | | | Plus there are other factors such as skip permit |
| Office staff £18,000/year per member of | | | | prices. All skip companies are supposed to tell you |
| staff | | | | that you need a permit if the skip is to be on a public |
| Landfill taxes £18/ton increasing by £3 | | | | highway. These permits are provided by the local |
| every year until 2010 where it will stand at | | | | council - sometimes the company by law has to sort |
| £35/ton | | | | it out for you, sometimes you'll have to go direct to |
| Recycling costs Cost of buying shredders, trommels, | | | | the council yourself. |
| weighbridges, picking stations etc - £millions | | | | The variances in skip permit price across the UK are |
| Soon adds up doesn't it? Getting rid of waste is not | | | | staggering - some council's charge nothing and issue |
| a cheap business, but it has to go somewhere! | | | | them the same day, some charge £70 and |
| 3. Why isn't my skip dropped off and picked up when | | | | make you wait weeks before issuing. |
| I ask for it? | | | | In the end... |
| This isn't always the skip company's fault - too many | | | | It's up to you. You now know pretty much |
| people don't understand that hiring a skip is not like | | | | everything necessary to make an informed choice |
| calling a taxi. Just think about what goes into the | | | | about which skip hire company to use. |