Rules guide
What Can and Cannot Go in a Skip
The full list of what you can put in a skip and the prohibited items that need separate disposal, with the reasons why.
The short answer
Most everyday waste from a house clearance, renovation or garden tidy-up can go in a skip. That means timber, plasterboard-free rubble, soil, tiles, bricks, general household rubbish, furniture, carpets, cardboard and green garden waste. What cannot go in is a specific, legally defined list of hazardous and controlled materials. If something is not on the prohibited list, it is almost certainly fine.
What you can put in a skip
- General household waste: bags, broken furniture, old clothing, kitchenware
- Timber and wood: floorboards, fencing, doors, flat-pack carcasses
- Inert construction waste: bricks, blocks, concrete, tiles and ceramics
- Soil and subsoil from gardens and excavations (heavy, so use a smaller skip)
- Green garden waste: grass cuttings, branches, shrubs, turf
- Metal: pipes, radiators, guttering, steel offcuts
- Carpets, underlay and vinyl flooring
- Cardboard and paper packaging
- Rubble from plaster walls (not plasterboard with gypsum backing)
What you cannot put in a skip
These items are banned by law from landfill or require specialist handling. Putting them in a skip is illegal and can result in a fine for you as well as us.
- Fridges, freezers and air-conditioning units (contain refrigerant gases)
- Televisions and computer monitors (hazardous display materials)
- Tyres, any size (subject to strict landfill ban)
- Asbestos in any form, including textured ceiling coatings (Artex from before 2000)
- Plasterboard and gypsum-based board (reacts with other waste to produce hydrogen sulphide gas in landfill)
- Liquid paint, solvent-based products and varnishes
- Oils, fuels and lubricants
- Clinical or medical waste
- Batteries, including car and lithium batteries
- Fluorescent tubes and low-energy lightbulbs
- Pesticides, weedkillers and chemical containers that have not been triple-rinsed
- Any waste that is radioactive or contaminated with pollutants
Why plasterboard is treated separately
Plasterboard is one of the most common causes of a refused skip load. The gypsum core is not toxic on its own, but when it decomposes alongside biodegradable waste in a landfill cell it produces hydrogen sulphide, a toxic gas. Since 2009 it has been a legal requirement to keep plasterboard separate from general waste. We can arrange a separate plasterboard-only skip or bags for your site if you have significant amounts from a renovation.
Electrical items and WEEE
Anything with a plug, a battery or a screen falls under WEEE regulations (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment). These items must go to a registered treatment facility, not a general skip. Your local household waste recycling centre accepts most WEEE for free. Some retailers offer take-back on a like-for-like basis when you buy a replacement. The exception is scrap metal such as a steel washing machine drum: the drum itself can go in a skip; the motor and wiring should be separated first.
Heavy waste and weight limits
Skip hire is sold by volume, not weight, but every skip has a maximum weight the lorry can safely carry. Soil, concrete and rubble are very dense. A 6-yard skip filled to the brim with soil could weigh three to four tonnes, which exceeds the safe limit for that container. For heavy inert waste such as soil, brick and concrete, a 2 or 3-yard mini skip is usually the right choice. If you mix heavy rubble with lighter general waste, load the heavy material first, in the centre, and keep the depth below half a yard from the top.
What happens to what you put in
All waste we collect goes to a licensed transfer station. There it is sorted, with recyclable materials separated for reprocessing. We currently divert over 92% of skip waste away from landfill. You receive a waste transfer note, which is your legal proof that the waste was handled by a licensed carrier. If you are a business or tradesperson you must keep that note for two years. It is your protection if the Environment Agency ever audits your waste disposal records.
FAQs
Can I put plasterboard in a skip if I only have a small amount?
No. There is no minimum threshold. Even a single sheet of plasterboard must be kept separate from general waste by law. Tell us when you book if you have plasterboard to dispose of and we will advise on the best option, which is usually a dedicated plasterboard bag or small separate skip.
Can I put a fridge or washing machine in a skip?
Washing machines with the drum separated from the motor and electrics can go in as scrap metal. Fridges and freezers cannot go in under any circumstances because they contain refrigerant gases that must be recovered by a certified engineer before disposal. Your local council tip accepts fridges for free.
What if I am unsure whether something is allowed?
Call or message us before the skip arrives. It is much easier to arrange an alternative before your skip is delivered than after it is sitting on your drive. We would always rather help you plan disposal correctly than have to refuse a load at the transfer station.
Do I need to sort my waste before it goes in the skip?
Not for general mixed waste. However, keeping heavy inert materials such as soil and rubble separate from light household waste can reduce the total cost because we can sometimes use a smaller container for the inert fraction. If you are a trade customer generating large volumes, segregating timber, metal and general waste also improves the recycling rate and can reduce disposal charges.