What Is a Builders Skip?

Whether you’re carrying out some renovation work, cleaning up your garden or simply decluttering your home, skip hire is a convenient way to dispose of any waste and save yourself from making multiple trips to the tip.

If you’ve never hired a skip before, the choice can seem overwhelming and you might be faced with unfamiliar jargon that you haven’t come across before, like the term ‘builders skip’. But what is a builders skip? The team at SCS Waste is here to explain all you need to know.

What is a builders skip?

From the name, you might assume that builders skips are restricted to those in the construction industry, but they can be used by anyone requiring waste disposal.

Simply put, a builders skip is a large, open-topped skip, typically used for disposing of waste from general construction work. A builders skip can hold a substantial quantity of waste, making it ideal for medium to large-scale domestic projects, such as home DIY, refurbishment and renovation jobs, and house and garden clearances.

What size is a builders skip?

There are typically two varieties of builders skips available: 6-yard skips and 8-yard skips.

A 6-yard builders skip, often referred to as a small builders skip, can hold approximately 100-120 bags of rubbish. It has a width of 1.7m, a height of 1.06m and a length of 3.35m.

An 8-yard builders skip, commonly known as a large builders skip, can hold an estimated 175 bags of waste, with a width of 1.7m, a height of 1.35m and a length of 3.5m.

If you’d like to know more about builders skip sizes, check out our size guide here.

Benefits of a builders skip

If you’re unsure of whether or not to invest in builders skip hire for your next construction project, we’ve listed some of the benefits below.

• Convenience: It’s a given that most construction projects will generate large amounts of waste. This can necessitate repeated trips to the nearest tip, sometimes multiple times a day, to prevent your waste from piling up. However, when you use a builders skip, you’re saved from this hassle – you can simply place all of your rubbish inside and forget about it, and we’ll do all the hard work.

• Safety: If construction waste is allowed to pile up, not only is this an eyesore, but it can cause obstructions and make for an unsafe working environment. A builders skip ensures that all waste is disposed of immediately to reduce the risk of any accidents or injuries.

• Cost-effective: When you dispose of waste yourself, you’ll have to pay for repeated trips to the tip and these costs can soon mount up. By contrast, when you hire a skip, you’ll pay one lump sum at the beginning of your hire period, making this a more affordable way to manage your waste.

• Saves time: Skip hire saves valuable time and makes waste disposal effortless by preventing repeated trips to the tip. Additionally, when you choose SCS Waste for your skip hire needs, we provide same and next-day delivery whenever possible to ensure your project can proceed without delay.

• Ensures compliance with all rules: You have a duty to ensure all of the waste that you produce is disposed of responsibly, so by hiring a skip you’ve got peace of mind that you’re fully compliant with all regulations.

What can’t go in a builders skip?

Unfortunately, not all of your waste can be disposed of in a builders skip; there are certain materials that are prohibited, whether that’s because they are hazardous or because they will contaminate other waste. This includes:

• Electrical appliances (fridges, freezers, washing machines, etc)
• Asbestos
• Plasterboard
• Mattresses
• Computers/TVs
• Clinical waste (syringes and other sharp objects)
• Tyres
• Batteries
• Hazardous materials
• Fluorescent tubes
• Paints, fuels and solvents

Anything not mentioned above you can assume is generally safe to put inside a builders skip. However, if you’re ever unsure then check out our “What Can’t You Put In A Skip” article or consult one of our experts for help!

Are you interested in hiring a builders skip for your next construction project? Here at SCS Waste, we’ve been supplying builders skips to domestic and commercial customers across Arundel, Littlehampton and Bognor Regis for more than 20 years. With affordable rates and a speedy delivery service, we’re the go-to skip hire experts for the region – simply get in touch today to find out more.