A red skip filled with materials alongside two bins.

What you can and can’t put in a skip

Skip hire is a great way to get rid of large amounts of mixed waste and items you can’t put in a domestic wheelie bin.

It saves you a trip (or many trips) to the tip, especially if you don’t have a suitable vehicle to transport your rubbish there by yourself.

You also get peace of mind that when you hire a skip from a reputable company, your waste will be processed and disposed of legally.

So it’s important to know the few limits on what you can put in a skip — and even more crucially, what you can’t – so you stay on the right side of the law too.

Items that can go in a skip

There are some items that can go in a skip that might surprise you, especially those that are normally subject to specific regulations regarding their disposal.

In addition to all the usual domestic waste like wood, metal, plastic, cardboard and paper, some other items that can go in a skip include:

  • Building waste e.g. bricks and rubble
  • Garden waste e.g. quantities of soil
  • Furniture
  • Gas cookers
  • Polystyrene
  • Bathroom suites
  • Food including its packaging
  • WEEE waste (electrical items) but NOT fridges/freezers (see below)

If you have anything else specific that you would like to throw away in a skip hired from Forge Skip Hire, just ask us beforehand if you’re not sure.

Items that can’t go in a skip

The Forge Skip Hire ‘Banned List’ is mostly fairly self-explanatory, as you can easily see the items that can’t go in a skip for safety reasons.

They include harmful and hazardous substances, corrosive fluids, acids and biohazardous waste.

Examples of items that can’t go in a skip include:

  • Aerosols and compressed gas cylinders (even if empty)
  • Asbestos
  • Batteries (including vehicle batteries)
  • Chemicals e.g. bleach and detergents
  • Clinical waste
  • Explosives
  • Fluorescent tubes
  • Light bulbs
  • Oils and other liquids
  • Paint (including tins with leftover paint inside)
  • Plasterboard
  • Solvents including glue
  • Toxic materials
  • Tyres

Please DO NOT try to hide hazardous substances in the bottom of a hired skip. If we detect any banned substances in your skip, we will be unable to collect it, and you could put your own health and the long-term health of our employees and the public at risk.

Can a fridge-freezer go in a skip?

The short answer is no. Refrigerators, freezers and fridge-freezers contain coolants that can be hazardous and must be disposed of separately and carefully.

However, we can arrange a separate collection of fridge-freezers (including combined units, refrigerators, upright and chest freezers).

There is an additional fee for collecting fridges and freezers but it’s important to stay on the right side of the law when disposing of potentially hazardous electrical items.

Top tips for filling a skip

Finally, a few top tips for filling a skip in the correct way:

  • Stick to permitted materials – the Banned List is there to ensure safety and protect the environment.
  • Don’t try to hide anything – we may refuse to collect skips that contain banned materials, at your expense.
  • Don’t overfill the skip – the max fill line is there for safety during collection and transport, so if you have more waste to dispose of, hire another skip.

With these three simple rules, you can make sure you stay in line with the law on skip waste, and avoid any delays and extra costs on collection.