Skip Hire Rules and Regulations

When hiring a skip to remove rubbish from your house, flat or even garden, you may be unaware of the environmental and safety regulations surrounding skip hire that may affect you.

Resources | 6min read

Our aim is to highlight some of the issues regarding domestic skip hire and what risks you could put yourself and others at, if they are not adhered to.

What can’t be put into a skip?

All people renting a skip for domestic work are prohibited from putting the following items into a skip:

  • Asbestos
  • Fridges
  • Oil and other accelerants
  • Tyres
  • Paint
  • Pesticides
  • Medical and clinical waste

This is by no means an exhaustive list of items, but cover the main areas of waste that are considered to be a risk to public health or environment. Take a look at our guide to restricted skip items for more information.

If these items are put into your skip, either by accident or fly tipping, the skip hire company may refuse to remove the skip or charge you additionally for removing the toxic waste.

Fly tipping in skips

Fly tipping is an issue you may face whether the skip is kept on private or public land and is something that you should be vigilant about as there were 711,000 incidents of fly tipping last year, costing the UK economy £36.4 million (DEFRA), most of which were domestic waste items.

In the eyes of the law, you are responsible for the waste put into your skip. The illegal practise of fly tipping is dangerous, as you don’t know exactly what has been thrown into the skip, it may also be over filled causing hazards for passers by. To combat this issue, using a cover for your skip if it is kept on site over night may be advisable; alternatively you could invest in a closed skip that can be locked. Both of these solutions would also prevent from any dust or light contents from blowing out of the skip.

Skip licences

If you are intending to keep your skip anywhere which isn’t your own land, you’ll need to gain permission from the relevant person or authority before the skip is delivered. It is the law for any skip left on a pavement or public highway (e.g. your street) to have a license to be there. The majority of councils allow the skip hire companies to apply for these permits on your behalf, but some require you to do this personally. If this is the case, make sure you organise the permit in advance of your skip being delivered as the license can take a few days to process.

Most licenses require your skip to be kept in the following fashion:

  • Not blocking any pavements or entrance/exits (unless specific permission is granted)
  • Not blocking or covering any utility access points e.g. manhole covers
  • Not placed within 15m of a junction
  • May need a parking suspension if the skip is on yellow lines, or in a pay and display bay

Your skip hire company should be able to help you with these restrictions and advise you on the best place to have the skip positioned, if you are unsure.

Safety requirements for skip hire

There are some important safety aspects which domestic skip users should be aware of, these safety regulations should be carried out by your skip provider, but checking them is always recommended to keep the public safe, not only this but you could be fine £1000 if they are not adhered to!

  • A contact name and phone number of the skip hire company should be clearly marked on the skip in case of an emergency.
  • Reflective markings must surround the edge of the skip
  • Traffic cones must be used to guide the traffic around the skip
  • Night time safety lamps should be used

Just a small amount of research is needed before you choose to hire a skip which may save you a lot of hassle further down the line if something were to go wrong. It is always worth checking with your local authority’s website about the local restrictions on skip hire as they can enforce regulations, for example skips cannot be parked on the highway in Greenwich and Westminster over the Christmas period.

AMA is dedicated to delivering great customer service nationwide. We have a team of experts who are dedicated to helping you find the right product and service for your needs, and with an 80% recycling rate, we are also dedicated to being environmentally responsible. If you decide that a skip isn’t suitable for your needs, if you live in an area where there is no space for a skip, AMA can offer convenient alternatives such as our Man in a Van service.

Call our friendly team today on 0330 660 0832 for more information.