
Skip hire guide
Hiring a skip is the easiest way to deal with large amounts of waste from renovations and building work, house clearances, or garden projects. But despite their capacity, skips cannot take everything.
Knowing what can and cannot go in a skip is important. Getting it wrong can result in your skip not being collected, as well as additional costs or fines.
The law, environmental regulations, and local restrictions will govern what you can put in a skip. And the rules change, so it is worth making sure you are up to date. Our guide outlines common exceptions and their reasons, ensuring you can confidently know which items can be placed in your skip without causing issues during waste processing. Additionally, it highlights when you might need to verify if something is safe to dispose of in the skip.
Everyday items that go in skips
General waste
As a rule, you can put it in a skip if it could go in your regular waste collection. This means things like packaging, household waste, and non-recyclable plastics can go in your skip.
Garden waste
Skips can accept garden waste like leaves, branches, cuttings, and even entire plants and bushes. Many waste authorities will use garden waste for chipping and composting, making it a positive way to deal with your garden clearance.
You cannot, however, put substantial amounts of soil in a skip. This makes some skips too heavy, so check with your skip company to ensure you have a suitable size.
Wood
Wood is usually acceptable, but some treated woods require special disposal because of the pollution risk. This includes any wood treated with creosote and wood used in construction before 2007, such as external joinery and doors, joists, and roof timbers.
Furniture
Most furniture can go in a skip, but care must be taken with any upholstered furniture or with padding. These were often manufactured with what are known as ‘persistent organic pollutants’ (POPs), which can be harmful as they break down following disposal.
Recent furniture labelled as POP-free can be disposed of in a skip. But, if you cannot prove that old armchair is POP-free, you cannot put it in a skip.
Building and construction waste
Most construction waste, like bricks, rubble, and tiles, can go in a skip. However, like soil, they can make it too heavy to move safely, so check how much you can include with your skip hire company.
Metal
Uncontaminated scrap metal is fine. This can include things like metal framing, brackets, and small appliances.
However, larger appliances, which can contain harmful pollutants, like oil or refrigerants, cannot go in a skip.
Items that cannot go in a skip
Hazardous materials
You cannot use a skip for hazardous waste. This includes asbestos, flammable materials, and any chemicals – domestic or commercial – which are all restricted by law to prevent harming the environment or those working in disposal.
These items will require specialised disposal and, in some cases, such as with asbestos, specialist removal as well.
Electrical equipment
Small, simple electrical equipment like toasters and kettles can go in a skip, but not more complex equipment. TVs, computers, and white goods can contain batteries, chemical-rich screens, and circuit boards with potentially harmful compounds.
These require specialist disposal where reusable components are reclaimed.
Medical waste
Medical waste is prohibited. This includes medical devices, medicines, and used bandages or dressings.
These can pose a health risk to waste workers and a contamination risk after disposal, so they must be taken by a licensed company.
Pressurised containers
Any pressurised containers and canisters must be returned to the supplier or manufacturer or disposed of by a specialist. Even seemingly empty containers are still at a higher pressure and carry the risk of serious injury or even death should the container be punctured or damaged during transit and disposal.
Oils, solvents, and paints
You should not use skips to dispose of any liquid. Oils, solvents, and paints all pose a risk of chemical leaching and environmental damage.
Most recycling centres will now offer facilities to dispose of these items. However, they must be kept separate, and that means they cannot go in a skip.
Alternatives for prohibited items
Not being able to dispose of something in a skip does not mean you are stuck with it forever.
Recycling
Often, items just need to be kept separate. For example, things like paint and batteries can still be taken to your local authority’s recycling centre.
Retailer schemes
Electronics and appliance manufacturers are increasingly required to provide end-of-life disposal services. Some even offer payments or gift cards for products containing salvageable components.
Using charities
If the items are in good condition, consider whether local charities might accept them as a donation. Some will even collect from you.
FAQs
Can I put a mattress in a skip?
This is generally discouraged because of the bulk and difficulty in processing, as well as because some will contain POPs.
Can plasterboard go with building waste?
Unfortunately, no. Plasterboard contains sulphur, which can create harmful compounds after disposal.
Can tyres go in a skip?
No, they typically need extra treatment to handle the contaminants from roads, and tyres are hard to recycle; you will need to arrange specialist disposal.
Conclusion
Although waste regulations can seem complex, they are largely common sense: if you think an item might contain something dangerous or harmful, it is a good sign it should not go in a skip.
If you have any doubts, your skip hire company will be able to help. At What Skip, we always keep a close eye on regulations to ensure our customers are not caught out, to help keep everyone safe, and to protect the environment. Contact us, and we can help you find the best way to get rid of your waste.

Contact us
To book a skip or other services, or just to have a chat about your requirements, please get in touch.