When hiring a skip it is useful to know what items you can put in it, what you cannot, and what then happens to the contents of that skip.
There is an increased awareness of the huge amount of waste we generate as a society and crucially, what happens to that waste when we dispose of it.
The mantra that we should all embrace is Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. The capitalist system in this country that drives consumerism and a throwaway society has much to answer for, but ultimately as individuals it is our responsibility to reduce our purchases (do we really need those new clothers when we already have a bulging wardrobe or that latest gizmo?), reuse as much as we possibly can, and then recycle properly.
Quite often, items that we no longer want ourselves are much appreciated by others so do consider a clothes swap, taking items to charity shops, groups such as FreeCycle Southend or selling on e-bay. You can also check out recycling facilities in Essex to see what services are provided by you local council.
But nonetheless, there comes a time for many of us when we have exhausted all the other options and still have large quantities of rubbish to dispose of, perhaps when clearing premises of an elderly relative or embarking on major projects in our house or garden, for example. At such times the most efficient and cost effective approch once you have reused and recyled everything you are able to yourself is to hire a skip, which is why skip hire in Essex is such a widely used service.
Once you have decided to hire a skip, you need to ensure you hire the right company for the job. Before you make a final decision, check out the company’s website and maybe give them a call to find out how they dispose of the contents of the skip you are about to fill. After all, you wouldn’t want to think it all ends up in landfill, would you?
Additionally, people generally assume you can dump just about anything in a skip. Due to strict health and safety regulations relating to waste, that certainly isn’t the case! So we’ll start by looking at some of the items you can and can’t put in skips before we look at what then happens to that waste.
Items you can put in a skip
A general rule of thumb is, items that are not hazardous to the environment or harmful for the health of the workers can be put in a skip. While there’s a huge list of items that can go in a skip, we will list a few to give you an idea of what is dafe to add.
- Wood
- Plastic
- Solidified paint
- Metal
- Soil
- Polystyrene
- Rubble
- Furniture
- Gas cookers
- Food scraps
- Food packaging
- Garden waste
- Non-electrical fittings (non-electrical)
- Domestic waste
- Empty tins
- Bricks
- Cardboard
The ideal way to ensure what items can be recycled by your skip hire company is to contact the service and ask them for a list of items that they recycle. There will be a list of items provided in the contract too when you hire a waste management company.
Items you cannot put in a Skip
There are clear instructions from the waste disposal rules and legislations on what items are considered hazardous or harmful. You need to know about the items that you cannot put in a skip because failure to comply with the rules can result in the company refusing to remove the skip of your property or impose additional cost for correct disposal.
So, what exactly you cannot put in a skip? The picture below might look like a typical skip, but some items certainly shouldn’t be in there!
Electrical Equipment and Appliances
Computers, dishwashers, freezers, televisions, microwaves, electric cookers, etc cannot be recycled. The right way to dispose of such items is to take them to the nearest WEEE recycling centre.
Fluorescent Bulbs
Elements like mercury in bulbs are extremely hazardous and cannot be put in the skip.
Large Batteries
Batteries for cars, UPS, or other devices cannot be put in the skip as they often contain hazardous chemicals.
Asbestos
It is a highly hazardous material that can cause cancer and other diseases. There are several government rules regarding the disposal of asbestos. You will need to contact a specialist such as Athena Environmental
Plasterboard
Similarly plasterboards also have sulphate that are harmful and cannot be put into skips.
Medical Waste
Waste from surgical needles to biological waste, nothing can be put in a skip. There are licensed medical waste disposal companies for the same.
Gas Cylinders
The explosive nature of cylinders makes them inappropriate for disposal by skip hire. Whether empty, half full, or filled, no gas cylinder should be put in a skip
Fuel, Solvents, and Paints
There are a lot of harmful chemicals in these products, which is why you cannot put them in a skip. Some of these materials are highly combustible and can cause severe burns.
Tyres
Tyres are not hazardous as such, but proper tyre disposal is complex, which is why waste disposal companies don’t allow customers to put them in skips.
What do skip companies do with your waste?
Once in a while, we hear people claiming skip companies don’t recycle. Technically speaking, skip hires do not physically recycle but the waste they collect finds the right home. Once the skip from your house is picked it reaches the Waste Transfer Station for processing. This is the spot where the waste gets sorted into separate waste types.
Every waste stream has a different way of being recycled or otherwise disposed of. Large items are manually removed by the pickers and the remaining mix is put on a conveyor belt. Every skip company has a different way of processing waste mix on the conveyor but the ultimate goal of every skip hire is to separate as much waste as possible. After a couple of cycles of sorting; the separated waste is treated differently. Most metal objects are stripped to separate the metal types to increase their value. Cardboard and plastics are baled and the rest of the waste is processed similarly.
Hence the final product of the recycle phase goes to their separate journeys such as metal recycling facilities, plastic reprocessing plants and specialist companies.
Correct waste disposal is mandatory
Skip hires make our lives easy by disposing of the waste generated. Knowing what can be put in a skip helps you avoid an embarrassing situation where you have to face a problem with your skip hire professional. Be proactive and know beforehand what items can be recycled and put in a skip.