What is a RoRo skip?
A RoRo, short for roll-on roll-off, is a large open container from 20 to 40 yards that a hook-lift lorry winches on and off its back. It’s used on building sites, commercial premises and big clear-outs where ordinary skips would fill too fast.
- Sizes are 20, 30, 35 and 40 yards, with the same long footprint
- A 20 yard is about 6.1 × 2.4 × 1.5m, a 40 yard about 6.1 × 2.4 × 2.4m
- Needs about 15m of straight, level ground and around 7m clear height
- An end door lets you walk or barrow waste straight in
- Best for light, bulky waste in volume, not soil and rubble
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
How a hook-lift lorry works
A RoRo is carried by a hook-lift lorry. Behind the cab is a hydraulic arm with a hook on the end. The container has a matching steel bar at the front. To drop it, the arm pushes back and tilts, and the container slides off the back of the lorry on its rollers until it sits flat on the ground. To collect it, the hook catches the bar and the arm drags the container back up onto the bed.
That’s different from a normal skip lorry, which is a chain-lift. A chain-lift has two arms either side of the bed. Chains hook onto lugs on the skip, and the arms swing it up and over onto the back. That works for skips up to about 12 yards, but a container the size of a RoRo is too long and too heavy to lift that way.
Because the container rolls rather than swings, a hook-lift can handle a much bigger box. The trade-off is space. The lorry needs room behind it for the container to roll off, and height for the tilt.
RoRo sizes
Most RoRos share the same length and width. The bigger sizes get their extra volume from taller sides.
| Size | Roughly (L × W × H) | Equivalent | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 yard | 6.1m × 2.4m × 1.5m | About 2 to 3 builders skips | Site waste, strip-outs, mixed building waste |
| 30 yard | Same footprint, taller sides | About 4 builders skips | Shopfits, larger strip-outs |
| 35 yard | Same footprint, taller again | About 5 builders skips | Bulky commercial waste |
| 40 yard | 6.1m × 2.4m × 2.4m | About 5 to 6 builders skips | Light, bulky waste in volume |
Dimensions are typical and vary between companies. Not every company stocks every size.
Space and ground it needs
A RoRo needs far more room than a skip. Check these before you book, because a lorry that can’t drop the container still costs a journey.
- About 15 metres of straight, level ground: the lorry’s length plus the container rolling off behind it.
- Around 7 metres of clear height where the container is dropped and lifted, because the bed tilts steeply.
- Firm hardstanding, such as concrete, tarmac or compacted hardcore. Soft ground can sink under the lorry or the loaded container.
- No overhead cables, branches, canopies or loading bay roofs above the drop point.
- A clear route in and out for a large lorry, with room to reverse in line with the drop point.
- Room to open the end door, and space in front of it to wheel waste in.
End doors and loading
Most RoRos have a full-width door at the back end, hinged at the side or split into two leaves. Open it and you can walk, barrow or forklift waste straight in rather than lifting it over a high side. On a 40 yard container, where the sides are around 2.4 metres high, that’s the only practical way to fill it by hand.
Load from the front of the container to the back. Put heavy items at the front, near the hook end, and spread them across the floor rather than piling them up. That keeps the container stable when it’s pulled onto the lorry. Close and secure the door before collection.
For the top half of a tall container, a telehandler, digger or loading chute is usually needed. On many sites, waste comes down a chute from upper floors straight into an open RoRo.
Weight limits
A RoRo is sized for volume, not weight. The lorry can only legally carry so much, and most companies set a weight allowance on each container, then charge for anything over it.
Light, bulky waste fills a RoRo by volume first: timber, packaging, plasterboard bagged separately, partitions, ceiling tiles, furniture and green waste. That’s what they’re for.
Heavy waste is the opposite. Soil, rubble and concrete hit the weight limit with the container only part full. If most of your waste is heavy, a grab lorry or a run of 6 yard builders skips is usually cheaper. Mixed loads are fine, as long as the heavy part is a small share of the total.
When a RoRo makes sense
Yes
- Building sites with a steady flow of waste
- Commercial strip-outs and shopfits
- Factory, warehouse and office clear-outs
- Large house clearances with lots of furniture
- Big garden or estate clearances with green waste
- Events and markets with lots of light waste
No
- Small home jobs that fill a skip in a day
- Mostly soil, rubble or concrete
- Terraced streets with no off-road space
- Drives with gates, low trees or soft ground
- Asbestos, hazardous waste or liquids
One RoRo or several builders skips?
A 20 yard RoRo holds about as much as two or three 6 yard builders skips, and a 40 yard about five or six. On a busy job, that means one delivery and one collection instead of a skip lorry calling every day or two.
For large volumes of light waste, a RoRo usually works out cheaper per cubic yard. It’s also quicker to load through the door, and one container takes up less of a site than a row of skips with room around each one.
Builders skips win on access and weight. They fit where a hook-lift can’t, and a 6 yard builders skip at around £320 is built to take heavy waste filled level. If your space is tight or the waste is mostly hardcore, stay with skips.
RoRo jobs are quoted per job, because the price depends on the size, the waste type, the tonnage and how often you need it swapped.
How swaps work
- 1First dropThe lorry delivers an empty container and sets it down where you’ve marked.
- 2Fill itLoad through the door, heavy items forward, nothing above the sides.
- 3Call for a swapRing when it’s nearly full. Many sites book swaps on a set day each week.
- 4ExchangeThe lorry brings an empty, drops it nearby, lifts the full one and puts the empty in its place.
- 5Final collectionAt the end of the job, the last container goes and nothing replaces it.
RoRo questions
- What does RoRo mean?
- Roll-on roll-off. The container rolls on and off the back of a hook-lift lorry, rather than being lifted on chains like a skip.
- How big is a 40 yard RoRo?
- About 6.1 metres long, 2.4 metres wide and 2.4 metres high. It holds roughly as much as five or six builders skips.
- Can a RoRo go on the road?
- Some councils allow it with a permit, many don’t because of the size. Most RoRos go on a site, yard or car park.
- Can I have a RoRo at home?
- Only if you have the space: about 15 metres of straight, firm, level ground and around 7 metres of clear height. Most homes are better with an 8 or 12 yard skip.
- Is the container covered?
- Usually it’s open. Some companies offer closed containers or sheet the load for transport. Ask if your waste is light enough to blow about.
- How long can I keep a RoRo?
- It depends on the company and the job. Many sites keep one on a rolling hire, swapped whenever it’s full.
Related guides and tools
- RoRo skip hire20 and 40 yard containers for big jobs
- 20 yard skip hireThe site RoRo, about three builders skips
- 40 yard skip hireThe biggest container, for light bulky waste
- Commercial skip hireSites, shops, offices and trades
- Grab hireSoil and rubble lifted from your drive
- House clearanceSkip, man and van, or both
Need a RoRo for your site?
Call for a price and to book.