Skip Waste Types: What You Can Put in Different Skips

A general waste skip is suitable for everyday household clearances, office cleanouts, and small renovation projects. It typically accepts:

• Packaging waste
• Plastics
• Carpets
• Clothing
• Toys (excluding electronics and batteries)
• Light household rubbish
• Small furniture
• Non hazardous waste

General waste skips are ideal for home projects, rented property clearances, and commercial waste disposal where mixed waste streams are involved. Most small to medium skip sizes can accept general waste, but it is imperative to avoid contamination with restricted or hazardous waste to comply with waste management regulations.

Green waste skips are designed specifically for biodegradable and green waste materials, including:

• Grass cuttings
• Hedge trimmings
• Leaves
• Small branches
• Plants
• Turf
• Compost
• Green waste

In general soil should not be placed in a green waste skip although a very small amount attached to turf, for example, is normally acceptable. Please note that large branches, tree stumps and rootball is not accepted in green waste.

Soil skips are used for heavy inert materials such as:

• Soil
• Mud
• Sand
• Clay
• Subsoil
• Spoil from landscaping or construction projects

These waste types are classed as inert waste, meaning they do not decompose, burn, or chemically react with the environment. Due to their weight, only specific skip sizes (up to 8 cubic yard skips or 16 cubic yard RoRo) are suitable for these materials to ensure safe transport and compliance with weight restrictions.

Suitable for timber, pallets, doors, and untreated wood
waste.

Plasterboard, and other gypsum based materials, is classified as restricted waste and must be separated from other waste streams due to its chemical properties. When mixed with biodegradable waste, plasterboard can produce harmful gases, making proper disposal imperative.

Typical plasterboard skip loads include:

• Plasterboard sheets
• Offcuts
• Broken pieces
• Drywall
• Gypsum-based materials

Plasterboard must never be placed in a general waste skip. We provide dedicated plasterboard skips for segregation on site which ensures compliance with UK waste regulations and avoids contamination fees.

Metal skips are used for collecting significant amounts of scrap metal and offcuts, including:

• Radiators
• Pipes
• Sheet metal
• Metal fixtures
• Scrap metal from construction or industrial sites

While small quantities of metal can be placed in mixed waste skips, large volumes require dedicated metal skips to facilitate efficient recycling processes and reduce disposal costs.

Mixed waste skips offer flexibility by accepting a variety of waste types simultaneously, such as:

• Wood
• Metal
• Plastics
• Packaging
• Light construction waste
• Non hazardous materials
• Furniture
• Household waste

These skips are popular for property renovations, shopfitting, commercial refurbishments, and building projects producing different waste streams. However, mixed waste skips are not suitable for heavy materials like soil, hardcore, or plasterboard unless these are separated to avoid contamination and additional disposal costs.

Construction and demolition projects often generate inert waste materials that are stable and non-reactive. Common examples include:

• Bricks
• Rubble
• Concrete
• Stones
• Ceramics
• Tiles
• Sand
• Gravel
• Hardcore

Rubble and hardcore skips are perfect for small building projects, driveway removals, wall demolitions, and other structural works. Due to the potential for exceeding legal weight restrictions the maximum skip size is 8 cubic yards, and maximum RoRo size is 16 cubic yards. This is to prevent overloading and to comply with road traffic weight regulations.

Asbestos waste is hazardous and requires specialist handling. Asbestos cannot be placed in standard skips under any circumstances. Licensed waste contractors must manage its disposal using asbestos-specific skips that are sealed with lockable hatches to prevent environmental contamination.