abss-skip-hire

A Guide to Skip Permits

Thu, 21 May 2020 10:51:09 GMT

Skip hire is a really easy way of getting rid of your waste. It’s also a great way to ensure you’re disposing of waste in a safe and legal manner, but you might be put off by the need for a skip permit.

At Bedford Skips, we want to help you better understand skip permits and licenses, removing the need to worry about this aspect of your skip hire requirements. While it might seem like a hurdle you have to overcome, it’s not as tricky as it first seems; here’s our guide to skip permits.

When do I need a permit for a skip?

If you’re placing a skip on your own property, the good news is you won’t need a skip permit at all. If it needs to be placed on a public highway or a pavement, then you do need a skip permit. This is essentially letting your local council know that the skip will be there so they can control the traffic in the area – if there are too many skips on one road at any given time, it could cause issues and the council may need to limit how many skips it can allow.

How do I get a skip permit?

How you get a skip permit is up to you, but a competent and professional skip hire company will often be able to arrange a skip permit for you. This takes a lot of the pressure off you, as your chosen provider will have the necessary contacts and information to quickly make the right arrangements on your behalf – just make sure you let them know your skip will need to be on the road or pavement when placing your order.

Who issues skip permits?

Your geographical location will inform who issues skip permits in your area. At Bedford Skips , we cover a number of areas, which means we would be liaising with a number of different councils depending on who the customer is and where they are based. This is the same across the country, where your area will be covered by a specific council. The following is the main council we seek permits from:

Bedford Borough Council

How quickly can I get a permit?

At Bedford Skips we like to offer next-day delivery on skips, because we know how important it is for you to keep your site or your home clear. However, if you require a skip permit, you may need to allow for an extra day or so in your plans as local councils can often take differing lengths of time to grant permits and licenses.

We’ll do our utmost to provide as swift a service as possible, but for those who can’t have a skip on their property, but need a rapid response, our wait and load skip hire option means you can negate the need for a skip permit altogether.

What happens if I don’t have a skip permit?

If you have a skip on a public highway or pavement, you could be subject to a fine. It’s usually the duty of the skip hire company to arrange the permit (or check the customer has one) before placing a skip, so it would be the skip company who is hit by the fine if they are not operating within the legal parameters set by the council.

For skip hire in Bedfordshire or the surrounding areas, look no further than Bedford Skips. We can discuss your project – domestic or commercial – and arrange for a skip permit on your behalf where required.

Skip Hire: What You Need to Know

Tue, 05 Aug 2014 10:51:10 GMT

Whether carrying out a spot of home DIY, garden landscaping, office refurbishment or heavier construction, hiring a skip is often the most effective and convenient way to dispose of your waste. Skip hire is a relatively straightforward process, so long as a few simple considerations are made, which is why here at Bedford Skips we’ve drawn up a checklist of common issues and FAQs to help you out…

What Can and Can’t I put in a Skip?

Skips are a versatile way of disposing of most waste, but understanding what you can place in them will help you to avoid issues or unexpected charges. It’s perhaps best to consider what you can’t dispose of in a skip, and assume that most other items are generally fine.

Asbestos
Solvents and paint
Oil, petrol, diesel
Electrical equipment (WEEE)
Toxic materials
Gas canisters or bottles
Batteries
Vehicle tyres
Household appliances
Medical waste
Fluorescent materials
Plasterboard
Most liquids

Hazardous wastes should be disposed of separately, and by licensed waste experts.

Where can I put my Skip while in use?

If your property doesn’t include a driveway or an off-street area, you will have to leave your skip on the roadside. This means obtaining a permit from the local council responsible for your road, and limits your skip size to 8 yards. Better quality skip hire companies will often sort permits out on your behalf.

What shall I look out for in a Skip Hire Company?

The primary indicator of quality is a waste carrier’s licence issued by the Environment Agency. This will prove that assessment and regulation of the company has taken place, and that their practices are up to standard. Beyond this, those that can provide a competitive quote and arrange for full delivery and collection of your skip are more desirable, as are those that are willing to obtain road permits for you.

What’s the Maximum Weight a Skip can hold?

As you might expect, the answer to this depends entirely on the size of the skip in question. For a rough calculation, a single cubic yard can hold around 1,000kg (one metric tonne). It’s important to note that if your skip will be filled with garden waste, such as soil and rubble, there is an 6 yard skip limit, as the weight would be too great for the collection trucks to handle if the skip was any bigger. Similarly, every skip has a fill level to avoid overfilling, as this would make collection unsafe.

How to Load a Skip Efficiently

Sun, 17 Jul 2011 12:42:32 GMT

Step One: Organise

The key to efficiently filling a skip is to layer. Different types of item will need to go into the skip at different times. Organising your waste into these separate categories will make the job a lot easier when it comes to filling the skip. Items should be sorted into the four categories below.

Flat items
Tessellate objects (e.g objects that can be stacked together, such as bricks)
Large or bulky items
Loose debris

Ideally, you want to reduce the size of any large items as much as possible. This can be achieved by breaking these items down into their smaller parts where possible. A lot of furniture, for example, can be disassembled into separate bits. Tables will be much easier to handle if they are broken down into a flat surface and four table legs. This will make it easier to place into a skip.

Step Two: Flat items

Once you’ve dismantled your large items and have organised your remaining items, it’s time to start filling the skip. The first items to place into your skip are the flat items. These are items like cardboard, wood or plasterboard that will fill the base and can be easily squashed down by items on top. Ensure that any boxes are flattened before placing them in the skip. If you have a particularly large amount of these items, you can place them around the sides of the skip in addition to the base.

Step Three: Tessellate objects

Items such as bricks that will easily fit together should be placed in next. Try to fill the base with these objects; this will create an even surface. If you can’t fill the entire base evenly, use some foresight to leave a space suitable for some of your remaining items.

Step Four: Large or bulky items

Items such as furniture or appliances should go into the skip next. As noted before, these items should be broken down into their smallest parts. Place the items as best you can so that they create layers, rather than trying to stack everything at once. Use all the space provided; try and make use out of crevices that other items may have created.

Step Five: Loose debris

Finally, loose debris should go on last. Loose debris refers to particles such as gravel, sand or soil. These go on last as they will generally fill all the available pockets of space that larger items can’t fill.

The next step? Call Bedford Skips! Once your skip is full, the friendly team at Bedford Skips will remove the skip from your property. Your items will then be taken to our specialists recycling facility where recyclable waste will be retrieved and processed. We complete this procedure for every skip we remove; it’s just one of the ways we fulfil our aim to recycle 100% of the waste we collect. For more information about our recycling services, or to enquire about any of our skips for hire, give our team a call today. We serve customers throughout all of Bedfordshire.

Your Guide to Overloaded Skips

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 10:51:10 GMT

If you’ve ever hired a skip, you may have noticed the thick lines on the inside. These are fill lines and are used to indicate the maximum fill level of the skip. Overfilling the skip can be dangerous to skip hire staff and the general public, and it will usually land you a hefty fine.

...in this article, find out more about overloaded skips, including how to avoid overloading.

How high can I fill a skip?

Every skip has maximum fill lines that indicate the highest level you can fill your skip. None of your items should exceed the top of the lines; if they do, you’ll need to either reorganise your waste or hire another skip.

Why is there a limit?

Skips have a fill limit for safety purposes. Filling a skip above the lines creates a hazard that endangers the skip collector and the general public. Here are the reasons not to fill a skip in more detail:

The skip becomes too dangerous to remove

If a skip is overflowing with heavy objects, it may be too dangerous for skip hire staff to remove. Items could fall out and hurt someone during transportation, or the skip might simply be too heavy to hoist and transport. A particularly heavy skip could damage the truck and the lifting mechanisms.

Items may fall out and hurt pedestrians

An overfilled skip will also be a hazard to the general public. Items that poke out the top of the skip could harm pedestrians. Some items might fall out of the skip and become a hazard to cyclists.

Items may fall out and harm the environment

Waste that falls from the skip could start to rot and pollute the surrounding environment. Waste may also attract flies and other nuisance insects.

What happens if I overfill a skip?

Overfilling a skip could land you with a hefty fine. You may also be required to hire a second skip, which is going to cost you even more. This is why it is crucial that you do not fill your skip above the maximum fill lines.

How to avoid overfilling a skip

Fill your skip strategically, c onsider filling your skip like a game of tetris: fill all the available space in one layer before moving onto another layer.

You also want to separate your waste into four categories:

Flat items such as cardboard or paper
Tesselate objects (such as tiles or bricks)
Bulky items (of which should be dismantled into their core parts)
Debris such as soil or sand

Begin filling your skip with your flat items. You should completely cover the bottom layer of the skip before moving onto a second layer. Repeat this process for your tesselate items. Do the same with your bulky items, aiming to arrange your waste so that all available space in one layer is filled. Finally, fill all remaining pockets of space with your debris.

Choose the the most suitable skip size for your project

If you hire a skip that is too small, you may need to pay out for a second hire. If you rent a skip that’s too large, you may have overpaid needlessly. That’s why it’s important to find the right skip for your project. At Bedford Skips, we offer skips in a range of sizes to accommodate all types of domestic and commercial projects Check out our skip size guide to find the right size for you.

From 4-yard mini skips to 12-yard extra large skips, we provide skip hire for every project. Hire your skip from Bedford Skips and enjoy quick turnarounds — we even offer same-day deliveries. Plus, we’ll arrange all skip permits on your behalf and recycle as much of your waste as possible.