What size skip for driveway removal?
Weight decides it, not volume. A small tarmac or block paved drive usually fits one 6 yard builders skip filled level, while a larger drive or one with concrete and sub-base coming out needs two or more 6 yard skips, or a grab lorry.
- Driveway waste is heavy, so the 6 yard builders is the biggest skip most companies will fill with it
- Fill it level with the sides, never heaped
- Bigger drives or deep dig-outs: several 6 yard skips, typically around £320 each, or a grab lorry
- A grab lorry loads from the road and leaves nothing on the drive, from around £270 for 8 tonnes
- If the skip can’t sit on the drive you’re digging up, it goes on the road and needs a permit
Need a skip? Call for a price and to book.
- Prices up frontGuide prices for every size
- Permit rulesWhat your council charges
- LicensedRegistered waste carriers
- LocalCompanies near you deliver
Why weight is the limit, not size
Most skip jobs fill up before they get heavy. Driveways are the opposite. Tarmac, blocks, concrete and hardcore typically weigh well over a tonne per cubic yard even once broken up, so a skip reaches the lorry’s safe lifting weight long before it’s full to the brim.
That’s why most skip companies cap heavy waste at the 6 yard builders size and ask you to fill it level with the sides. An 8 yard large might be allowed by some companies with a weight limit, and a 12 yard maxi won’t be allowed at all. A bigger skip doesn’t help. More skips, or a grab lorry, does.
Broken material also takes up more room than it did in the ground. Tarmac lifted in slabs, blocks thrown in loose and concrete broken into lumps all leave air gaps, so a drive that looks like it has three cubic yards of material in it can fill four or more once it’s dug out.
What you’ll need for your drive
Rough guides for a single car drive of about 15 to 20 square metres. Depth matters as much as area, so treat these as a starting point.
| Job | Usually needs | Typical price |
|---|---|---|
| Lifting tarmac only, sub-base left in | One 6 yard builders | Around £320 |
| Lifting block paving and sand bed | One 6 yard builders | Around £320 |
| Breaking out a concrete drive | Two 6 yard builders | Around £320 each |
| Full dig-out to formation level, sub-base and all | Two or three 6 yard builders | Around £320 each |
| Double drive or a deep dig-out | 16 tonne grab lorry | Around £360 |
Guide prices, ex VAT. A road permit, if you need one, is extra for each skip.
Tarmac, block paving, concrete and sub-base
Tarmac is usually the lightest of the four to deal with because it’s a thin layer, often around 50 to 75 millimetres. It comes up in slabs with a breaker or a pick and goes into a skip flat. Very old tarmac can contain coal tar, which is classed as hazardous waste. If your drive is decades old and the skip company asks about it, be ready to describe it or get a sample tested.
Block paving lifts by hand once the first few blocks are out. Blocks stack well, so loaded neatly they take less room than you’d expect. The sand bed underneath is heavy and fine, and it fills the gaps between blocks nicely. If the blocks are in good condition, they can be sold or reused, which may save you a skip.
Concrete is the heaviest and the bulkiest once broken. A slab 100 to 150 millimetres thick, often with steel mesh in it, breaks into large lumps with plenty of air between them. Break it as small as you sensibly can. Mesh and rebar can usually go in the skip with the concrete, but ask first.
Sub-base, the compacted hardcore under the surface, is where the volume really adds up. If you’re only resurfacing, it can often stay. If you’re digging down to lay a new base, expect it to double the waste from the surface layer alone.
What can go in a driveway skip
Yes
- Tarmac and asphalt
- Concrete, including mesh if the company agrees
- Block paving, bricks and kerbs
- Sand, hardcore and sub-base
- Clean soil from under the drive
No
- Oil-soaked material in quantity
- Tarmac known to contain coal tar, without telling the company
- Asbestos, including old drainage pipes or panels
- Heaped loads above the sides
- Plasterboard mixed in with the rubble
Rules vary between companies. Some charge less for a skip of clean, single material like soil or concrete, so ask when you book.
Where the skip goes when the drive is the job
This is the awkward part. A skip on the drive sits on the very surface you’re trying to dig up. There are a few ways round it.
The simplest is to put the skip on the part of the drive you’ll dig last, usually the end nearest the road. Work back towards it, have the skip swapped or collected, then clear the final strip by hand or with a small grab load.
If the drive is too short for that, the skip goes on the road. That needs a council permit, which the skip company applies for, and the skip must be lit and marked at night. With two or three skips over a week, permit fees and the time between swaps can add up.
A neighbour’s drive is another option, with their written agreement and an understanding that you’re responsible for any marks. Lay boards under the skip either way.
What a road permit costs
Councils charge anything from £15 to over £250 for a skip permit. A typical fee is around £80 for two weeks, and the middle half of councils charge between £54 and £105. If you need two skips one after the other, check whether the permit covers a swap or has to be paid again.
When a grab lorry makes more sense
A grab lorry has a hydraulic arm that reaches about 6 metres from where it parks. You pile the waste up on the drive, it lifts the lot in one visit, and nothing is left sitting on the road or on your new surface.
It’s priced by load rather than by skip. An 8 tonne grab is typically around £270 and a 16 tonne grab around £360. Compare that with two or three builders skips at around £320 each, plus a permit for each if they go on the road, and a single grab load often works out cheaper for a whole drive.
You need the lorry to park within reach of the pile, with no low cables or trees over it. Overhead phone lines across the front of a house are the usual problem, so check before you book.
How to plan a driveway strip-out
- 1Measure the driveLength times width, and dig a test hole to see how deep the surface and sub-base go.
- 2Decide what’s coming outSurface only, or surface and sub-base. This roughly doubles the waste.
- 3Pick skips or a grabBuilders skips for small drives, a grab for big ones or drives with no room for a skip.
- 4Plan where it sitsOn the last strip to be dug, on the road with a permit, or nowhere at all with a grab.
- 5Load it flat and levelSlabs flat, lumps broken small, and nothing above the sides.
Driveway skip questions
- Can I use an 8 yard skip for driveway waste?
- Some companies allow it with a weight limit, many don’t. Most cap heavy waste at the 6 yard builders size filled level, so ask before you book anything bigger.
- Will a skip damage my driveway?
- It can mark block paving and soft tarmac. If the skip sits on a surface you’re keeping, put boards or old timber under it to spread the weight.
- Can I put soil in with the tarmac?
- Usually yes. Some companies charge less for a single clean material, so if you have a lot of soil or a lot of concrete, ask about a separate skip for each.
- Is old tarmac hazardous?
- Most isn’t. Very old tarmac can contain coal tar, which is hazardous waste. If you’re unsure, tell the skip company how old the drive is and ask whether they want it tested.
- How long will I need the skip?
- A drive is usually broken out in one to three days. Book each skip for the strip-out and have it swapped as soon as it’s full, rather than paying for days it sits waiting.
Need a skip for your driveway?
Call for a price and to book.