When it comes to managing your waste, skip hire is often one of the most cost-effective and convenient options available. Skips are generally fairly straightforward to fill, but you need to make sure that you don’t overfill them. Doing so can result in significant fines being imposed on you by local authorities and even a potential criminal conviction.
To avoid all this hassle, here are some tips from JustHire on how to make sure that your skip isn’t overfilled.
Planning Your Load
The first step in preventing an overfilled skip is taking the time to plan out what you’re going to put into it. Make sure that you estimate the amount of waste accurately and factor in any bulky items like mattresses or sofas which take up more volume than expected.
Also, be aware that many local councils will not allow soil or rubble to be placed within skips due to safety regulations – check with your local authority before ordering your skip.
Organising Your Waste
Once you’ve planned out what’s going into your skip it’s important that you organise it effectively too. Try to distribute the weight evenly throughout the skip as much as possible, and make sure that any lighter materials such as cardboard or plastic are placed on top of heavier ones like stone, concrete or timber for stability.
Additionally, if there is anything likely to cause loose debris like wood panelling or floor tiles then secure them using rope or stretch wrap so they stay together once loaded into the skip.
Making Use Of The Space
When loading your skip don’t simply chuck everything in without thinking about where it goes – use the space inside efficiently instead! Place large items at the bottom of the container first then fit smaller items around them using cuboid shapes as much as possible – this prevents air pockets forming which would otherwise reduce the overall capacity of your skip significantly.
Taking an organised approach like this also helps reduce mess when unloading too, making it easier (and faster) when it’s time to empty everything out again later down the line.
Recycling Where Possible
Another way of avoiding having an overfilled skip is looking into recycling options for materials which can be recycled rather than thrown away – this not only helps with reducing waste volumes but also helps cut costs where possible too!
Many local councils provide kerbside recycling collections for glass bottles and jars, paper/cardboard and plastics, while larger waste disposal firms may also offer additional services depending on where you live – check online or call around for more information on what’s available in your area before ordering a skip just in case something else suits better instead!
Final Checks
Finally, once everything has been loaded into the skip take a few moments for a quick final check – look around for any loose rubbish which may have fallen off during filling and make sure that nothing hazardous has made its way inside either (paint tins etc). This will help ensure there aren’t any nasty surprises waiting when collection day arrives!
