From First Call to Collection, Here Is Exactly What Happens
A lot of people booking a skip for the first time are not sure what to expect. This page walks through the whole process in detail, from the first conversation right through to the skip being collected and the waste being sorted, so there are no surprises at any stage.
Whether this is your first skip or your fiftieth, the same four steps apply. What changes is the detail underneath them, and that is what the rest of this page covers.
A quick call, WhatsApp message, or online form, just describe roughly what you are clearing or building. The more detail you give us, room by room for a house clearance, or the type of waste for a site job, the more accurate your price and size recommendation will be. If you are not sure what size you need, describe the job and let us work it out, that is what we do all day.
We recommend a size based on what you have told us, and give you the full cost upfront, permit included if your skip needs to sit on a public road. Unless there are prohibited items in the skip. If a smaller size genuinely covers the job, we will say so rather than quote you the bigger one.
Seasonal dependant. We drop the skip exactly where you want it, and talk you through anything you should not put in it before we leave. If a permit is needed for the road, that is arranged before delivery day, so there is no delay waiting on paperwork.
Within your agreed hire period, no chasing needed on your end. Trade and commercial accounts get scheduled swap overs instead, so a site is never left waiting on space. Once collected, your waste is sorted and sent for recycling wherever possible, rather than straight to landfill.
None of this takes long, and most of it is just a two minute conversation when you book. Still, getting it right first time means delivery day goes smoothly rather than the driver having to work around a problem on arrival.
Clear a space roughly the size of the skip, plus a little extra room for the delivery lorry to manoeuvre and lower it safely.
Check if the skip needs to sit on a road, pavement or verge, since that is the only time a permit is needed, a private driveway or garden does not need one.
Let us know about anything that cannot go in a skip, such as fridges, mattresses, paint tins, tyres or anything flammable, so we can tell you the right way to dispose of it separately.
For heavier waste like soil, rubble or bricks, tell us upfront so we recommend a size that stays within legal weight limits rather than one that looks right but cannot safely carry it.
If overhead branches, cables or a narrow access point might be a problem, mention it when you book, it takes seconds and saves a wasted trip.
We will usually give you a rough time window the day before or the morning of delivery, rather than an exact minute, since traffic and access on other jobs can shift things slightly. Once the driver arrives, here is what to expect.
Every delivery placed carefully, exactly where you want it.
Using chains and a winch on the back of the lorry, the skip is lowered gently into position. If you need it turned a certain way, for example with an opening or drop down door facing a particular direction, just mention this when you book or when the driver arrives.
A short reminder of what should not go in, how full it can safely be loaded, and what to do when you are ready for collection. This takes two minutes and means nothing gets missed.
On a driveway or a lawn, we can place boards under the skip to protect the surface underneath, just ask when you book if this matters to you.
The four steps stay the same either way, but what happens underneath them looks a little different depending on whether this is a one off home job or an ongoing site.
Usually a one off delivery and collection, timed around your job. Most home projects use a 2, 4, 6 or 8 yard skip, and the whole process from first call to collection is often finished within a week or two. You pay once, at booking, and that is the end of it unless you need to extend the hire.
Set up for ongoing site waste, with scheduled swap over collections rather than a single delivery and pickup. Instead of waiting for a skip to be collected before a new one arrives, a full container is swapped for an empty one on a set schedule, so the site keeps moving. We work around your site's timeline, whether that is a short refit lasting a few weeks or a long term contract running for months.
Section five
If your skip is going on a driveway, garden or any other private land, you can skip this section entirely, no permit is needed. If it needs to sit on a public road, pavement or verge, here is how that gets handled without slowing down your delivery.
Roll on roll off containers are the one exception here, since they are too large to legally sit on a public road at all, permit or not. These always need to go on private land with enough space for the collection lorry.
Tell us at the point of booking that the skip will be on the road, this is the only extra piece of information we need from you.
We apply to the local council on your behalf, so you are not the one filling in forms or chasing a reference number.
The permit cost is included in the price we quote upfront, not added separately once it comes through.
Turnaround varies by council, so if your job has a fixed start date, let us know as early as possible so we can apply in good time.
This is the part that catches people out most often, not at booking, but partway through filling the skip. Every skip has a maximum safe weight, set by what the collection lorry can legally lift and carry, not by how full the skip looks from the outside.
Up to an 8 yard skip, or a 20 yard roll on roll off commercially, heavier waste like soil, rubble and bricks is fine within reason.
Above that, every size is light waste only, wood, packaging, furniture and general mixed waste, since dense material risks pushing the loaded skip over the legal weight limit.
If you are partway through a job and realise you have more heavy waste than expected, call us, it is far easier to arrange an extra skip than to have a collection refused for being overweight.
A skip that looks half empty can already be at its weight limit if it is mostly soil or rubble, and a skip that looks completely full can still be well under weight if it is mostly lightweight bulky waste. Weight and volume are two different things, and this is usually the single biggest reason we ask what you are actually disposing of before confirming a size.
We collect from the date discussed, no need to chase us. The driver returns with the same type of lorry used for delivery, lifts the skip using the chains and winch, and takes it away in one visit. If your job runs on and you need the skip longer, just call or message before the collection date and we will extend it where possible, rather than turning up and finding you still need it.
Sorted and recycled wherever possible.
Every job is different, but here is roughly how a straightforward household booking tends to run, from first contact to the skip being taken away.
Day one, morning
You call or message us describing a kitchen renovation, we recommend an 8 yard skip and confirm a price.
Day one, afternoon
The skip is delivered to your driveway, no permit needed since it is on private land.
Days two to ten
You fill the skip at your own pace over the hire period, keeping the load level with the top and letting us know early if the job runs on.
Day ten
You message us to say the skip is ready for collection.
Day eleven
The skip is collected, and the waste is sorted for recycling.
A commercial account on an ongoing site follows a similar rhythm, just repeated on a set schedule instead of a single cycle, with a full skip swapped for an empty one each time rather than a final collection.
A quick heads up on the mistakes we see most often, so you can side step them before you book.
Ordering a size based on how much rubbish there is by eye, rather than describing the job and letting us factor in weight as well as volume.
Not checking access beforehand, a narrow side gate or overhanging tree can mean the skip has to go somewhere less convenient than planned.
Loading a small skip with mostly heavy soil or rubble, which fills the weight limit long before the skip looks full.
Forgetting that a permit is needed the moment any part of the skip touches a public road or pavement, even just the corner.
Leaving it too late to ask about an extension, letting us know a few days before the collection date gives us far more flexibility than a same day request.
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Still unsure? Give us a ring on 0800 612 9876 — we'll answer straight.
From first contact to delivery can be as quick as the same day. Most household jobs run from booking to collection within one to two weeks, depending on how long you need the skip, while commercial accounts run on their own ongoing schedule.
Not necessarily, as long as we have clear access to where the skip needs to go and know exactly where to leave it. Many people arrange delivery while they are at work.
Just call or message before your collection date and we will extend the hire where possible. The earlier you let us know, the more flexible we can be.
Yes, most hires allow this, just keep it level and within the sides, since anything above the rim usually cannot be collected safely.
Call us and we will either swap it for a larger size or bring a second skip, whichever makes more sense for the job.
Yes, just mention this when you book or tell the driver on arrival, and they will position it accordingly where access allows.
Let us know as soon as you notice, we can usually still collect on schedule, but it helps us plan the visit properly if access has changed.
We can, just ask. Waste is sorted at a licensed transfer station and recycled wherever possible, and commercial accounts in particular can request a written breakdown.
Tell us what you are clearing or building, and we will handle the rest — size, price and a delivery slot that suits you.
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