How to minimise the costs of skip hire

Choose the right size of skip

Inevitably, the smaller the skip, the lower the cost of hiring it, although you should also be wary of hiring too small a skip, given the potential need for repeat refills and visits to the disposal or recycling centre, which may necessitate a longer hiring period.

Here at Able Skip Hire, we offer three main sizes of skip – the 2-Ton mini, 4-Ton midi and 8-Ton maxi. Those choosing our two-tonne mixed waste mini skip, for example, have the perfect means of disposing of the waste generated by small DIY jobs or room clearances, whereas the four-tonne mixed waste midi skip – unlike the mini – is big enough to hold long items like radiators and doors.

Our other options include the eight-tonne builders’ skip that is sufficiently large to hold three piece suites, and a 16cyd high sided skip that can only be filled with light mixed waste like wood, plastic, paper or materials. Given such a broad range, it should be clear to you just how crucial if it is to pick the right size of skip if you are to avoid having to hire further skips later at additional expense.

Don’t place restricted items in it

Additional fines and fees may be imposed if you place disallowed items into your skip, with different skip hire companies often having their own restrictions. For instance, Able Skips cannot accept the following items in its skips: refrigerators, freezers, tyres, asbestos roofing sheets, unsealed oil or paint cans.

Don’t overload the skip

It’s important for your skip not to be overloaded, not least as it will need to be safely lifted and removed from your property. An overloaded skip may also result in the vehicle exceeding its legal weight limit, which can attract a fine of up to £1,000 for the driver. This is why, many skip hire companies reserve the right to refuse collection or apply an additional charge if your skip is filled beyond the top of the container.

Don’t hire for an unlimited time period

While hiring a skip from a company that allows you to do so infinitely may seem like a good cost-saving measure, in truth, you often pay a greater premium for that privilege, and may not need to use the skip for longer than a few days regardless. Here at Able Skips, our maximum hiring period is seven days, which helps us to keep more of our skips available at any one time and our costs consequently low.

Avoid paying a permit

We’re not advising you to do anything illegal here – after all, you could be fined heavily if you put a skip on a public road without having obtained a skip licence to do so. However, you won’t need such a permit if you have the skip entirely placed on your own private land, such as your driveway. Nonetheless, Able Skips can obtain a permit on your behalf, adding the fee to the skip hire cost.

If you would like to discover just how affordable it can be to hire a skip from one of Lancashire’s most reputable skip hire companies, simply complete and submit our online contact form, or use our online quotation and booking system to book a skip.