What can’t go in a skip?
Hazardous waste, electricals and fridges, tyres, batteries, gas bottles, asbestos, wet paint and most mattresses and upholstered sofas can’t go in a normal skip. Plasterboard can, but only kept separate from everything else.
- Anything hazardous needs its own licensed route, not a general waste skip
- Fridges, freezers and other electricals go to a recycling centre or back to the retailer
- Plasterboard is fine if it’s bagged separately and you tell the skip company
- Sofas and armchairs often can’t go in because of the chemicals in their foam
- Banned items found in a skip mean extra charges, or the skip left until they’re removed
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 some things are banned
A skip goes to a waste transfer station, where it’s tipped out and sorted. Wood, metal, rubble and cardboard are picked out for recycling and the rest goes on for treatment or landfill. The site’s permit sets out exactly which kinds of waste it can accept, and general skip waste can’t include anything classed as hazardous.
Some items are banned because they’re dangerous to the people sorting the load: gas bottles explode under pressure, batteries start fires and asbestos fibres harm anyone who breathes them. Others are banned because they contain substances that have to be recovered or destroyed in a controlled way, like the refrigerant gases in a fridge or the chemicals in sofa foam.
You’re responsible for your waste until it’s handed over correctly. That’s your duty of care, and it’s why the skip company asks what’s going in before it delivers.
What can and can’t go in
Yes
- Rubble, bricks, tiles and concrete
- Soil and turf, filled level
- Wood, timber, doors and kitchen units
- Garden waste, branches and hedge cuttings
- Metal, pipework and radiators
- Furniture without upholstery: tables, chairs, wardrobes
- Cardboard, packaging and general household rubbish
No
- Fridges, freezers, TVs, monitors and other electricals
- Tyres
- Batteries of any kind
- Gas bottles and aerosols that aren’t empty
- Asbestos
- Paint, solvents, oils and chemicals unless empty and dry
- Most mattresses, sofas and upholstered armchairs
- Clinical waste, fluorescent tubes and anything else hazardous
Rules vary a little between skip companies. Plasterboard can go in only when it’s kept separate.
Where the banned items go instead
Most of these have a free or cheap route. Your council household waste recycling centre takes many of them.
| Item | Why it can’t go in | Where it goes instead |
|---|---|---|
| Fridges and freezers | Refrigerant gases and foam have to be removed in a controlled way | Recycling centre, retailer take-back when you buy new, or council bulky collection |
| TVs, computers, small electricals | Classed as WEEE, collected separately for recovery | Recycling centre electricals bins, or retailer take-back |
| Tyres | Banned from landfill and hard to process | A tyre fitter, usually for a small fee per tyre |
| Batteries | Fire risk when crushed, contain heavy metals | Battery bins at supermarkets and recycling centres |
| Gas bottles | Explosion risk, even when they seem empty | Back to the supplier or a stockist that runs a return scheme |
| Asbestos | Hazardous, needs sealed handling | A licensed contractor, or a council scheme for small amounts |
| Paint | Liquid paint is hazardous and leaks | Dry it out first, or take it to the recycling centre |
| Mattresses | Bulky, springs jam sorting machinery | Retailer take-back, council bulky collection or a separate charge |
What your local recycling centre accepts, and any charges, varies by council.
Electricals, fridges and freezers
Anything with a plug, a battery or a cable counts as waste electrical and electronic equipment, or WEEE. It has its own collection system so the metals, plastics and circuit boards can be recovered, and it can’t go in with general skip waste.
Fridges and freezers are the most common problem. The cooling circuit and the insulation foam contain gases that damage the ozone layer, so they have to be degassed at a specialist plant. A fridge spotted in a skip is almost always pulled out and charged for.
When you buy a new appliance, most retailers will take back the old one on a like-for-like basis. Otherwise the recycling centre takes most electricals free from householders, and many councils run a paid bulky collection for large appliances.
Sofas, armchairs and mattresses
Upholstered domestic seating, like sofas, armchairs, sofa beds and footstools, often contains persistent organic pollutants (POPs) from old flame retardants in the foam and fabric. Waste containing POPs has to be incinerated rather than landfilled or shredded with other waste, so it can’t be mixed into a general skip.
Some skip companies take sofas for an extra charge and keep them separate. Many won’t take them at all. A council bulky collection or a man and van service that handles upholstered furniture is usually the simpler route. Non-upholstered furniture, like wooden tables, chairs and wardrobes, is fine in a skip.
Mattresses aren’t hazardous, but the springs wrap around sorting machinery and the bulk fills a skip fast. Most companies either refuse them or charge per mattress. Ask before you book.
Plasterboard and asbestos
Plasterboard can go in a skip, but not mixed in. Gypsum produces a toxic gas when it breaks down alongside other waste in landfill, so it has to be kept separate. Bag it on its own, keep it dry and tell the skip company when you book. Some will take it in the same skip with a separate charge, others ask for a dedicated bag or skip.
Asbestos never goes in a normal skip. It turns up in older homes in textured ceilings, floor tiles, bath panels, garage roofs and pipe lagging. If you suspect it, stop work and get a sample tested. Removal of most types needs a licensed contractor, and small amounts of bonded asbestos sheet are sometimes accepted by council schemes when double wrapped. Never break it up to make it fit.
Smaller hazards that catch people out
These turn up in garage and shed clear-outs more than anywhere else.
- Paint: empty or fully dried tins are fine. Leave part-full tins open to dry, or mix in sawdust or a paint hardener.
- Aerosols: empty ones are usually fine, part-full ones are hazardous.
- Car batteries, oil and fuel: take them to a recycling centre or a garage.
- Fluorescent tubes and energy-saving bulbs: they contain mercury, so use the recycling centre lamp bin.
- Garden chemicals, weedkillers and pesticides: hazardous, use the recycling centre.
- Laptop and power tool batteries: remove them before putting the casing in the skip.
What happens if banned items are found
- 1At collectionThe driver checks the load. If they spot a fridge, gas bottle or tyres, they may refuse to lift the skip until it’s removed.
- 2A wasted journeyIf the skip can’t go, you may be charged for the failed collection as well as the rebooking.
- 3At the transfer stationItems found when the skip is tipped are pulled out and you’re usually charged per item to cover proper disposal.
- 4Serious casesHidden asbestos or hazardous waste can lead to the whole load being treated as hazardous, which costs far more than the skip.
What goes in a skip: questions
- Can I put a fridge in a skip?
- No. Fridges and freezers contain gases that have to be removed at a specialist plant. Take it to the recycling centre, or ask the retailer to take it when your new one arrives.
- Can I put a sofa in a skip?
- Often not. Upholstered seating can contain persistent organic pollutants and has to be kept separate. Some companies take sofas for an extra charge. Ask first.
- Can paint tins go in a skip?
- Empty or dried-out tins, yes. Liquid paint, no. Leave the lid off to dry it, or take it to the recycling centre.
- Can I put plasterboard in a skip?
- Yes, if it’s bagged separately and you tell the skip company. It can’t be mixed with general waste.
- What if my neighbours put something in my skip?
- It’s still your skip, so you may be charged for it. Cover the skip at night or keep it on the drive if you can.
Ready to book a skip?
Call for a price and to book.