Plain answers, checked against official sources
Skip Hire and Site Services Guides
Free UK guides to hiring a skip and everything else a site needs: grab hire, muck away, welfare units, portable toilets, scaffolding, plant, forklifts and cherry pickers, cranes, agency labour, hi-vis and PPE, and CDM advice. Each one covers costs, the rules that apply and what to ask suppliers before you book.
Skip hire guides
Four things decide whether a skip hire goes smoothly: the size, what you put in it, where it stands, and who is legally responsible for the waste.
01 · SizeWhat size skip do I need?Sizes compared to scale, with the weight limits that decide the answer. Includes a calculator that accounts for how heavy your waste is, not just how much of it there is.Read the size guide →
02 · ContentsWhat can go in a skip?The full prohibited list, why upholstered furniture now has to go separately under the POPs rules, and why plasterboard must be kept apart from general waste.See what can go in →
03 · PlacementSkip permitsWhen a council permit is needed, which council issues it, what it costs and how much notice to allow before delivery.Read about permits →
04 · ResponsibilityCommercial skip hireExchange cycles, roll on roll off containers, and the waste transfer documentation your duty of care requires.Commercial skip hire →
Site service guides
Costs, legal requirements and what to ask suppliers, for the other services a site needs.
Access platformsCherry picker and scissor lift hire: costs, IPAF cards and safety checksHiring a cherry picker typically costs about £150–£250 a day for a van-mounted machine, and a scissor lift about £80–£150 a day. Compare local access platform hire firms, choose self-drive...Read the access platform hire guide →Asbestos surveysAsbestos surveys: types, costs and when you need an asbestos surveyAn asbestos survey on a typical house costs about £150–£450 for a management survey and £300–£800 for a refurbishment and demolition survey. Compare local asbestos surveyors, see which survey the...Read the asbestos surveys guide →Labour hireConstruction labour hire: agency rates, rules and what to checkAgency labour typically costs about £16 to £20 an hour for a CSCS labourer outside London, and £20 to £35 for skilled trades. Compare local labour agencies, see what the...Read the construction labour hire guide →Crane hireCrane hire: costs, CPA hire vs contract lift, and lift planningA 25 tonne mobile crane typically costs about £420 to £650 a day, and a one-day contract lift about £1,400. Find local crane hire, understand CPA hire versus a contract...Read the crane hire guide →Fencing and hoardingHeras fencing and site hoarding hire: costs, sizes and the rulesA standard Heras temporary fence panel is about 3.5 m long and 2 m high, and hire prices run from about £2.75 to £5.50 a panel a week, with feet...Read the fencing and hoarding guide →Fire risk assessmentsFire risk assessment: costs, the law and choosing a fire risk assessorA fire risk assessment for a small shop or office typically costs about £180 to £350, with HMOs, blocks of flats and complex sites costing more. Find a fire risk...Read the fire risk assessment guide →Forklift hireForklift hire: costs, truck types, training and safety checksShort-term forklift hire typically costs about £100 to £160 a day, and long-term contracts start from about £50 to £70 a week. Compare local forklift hire firms, choose the right...Read the forklift hire guide →Utility surveysGPR and utility surveys: finding buried services before you digHSE guidance says plans alone aren't enough to dig safely. A utility survey uses cable locators (CAT and Genny) and ground penetrating radar (GPR) to find and mark buried cables...Read the utility surveys guide →Grab hireGrab hire: grab lorry costs, sizes and what they can takeA grab lorry loads heavy waste with its own crane arm, straight from a pile on your land, even over a wall. Most loads cost about £150–£500, with a full...Read the grab hire guide →Health and safety consultantsHealth and safety consultants: costs, audits, RAMS and competence checksHealth and safety consultants typically charge about £300–£800 a day, and a single-site health and safety audit costs roughly £600–£1,200. See what a consultant does, when you need a competent...Read the health and safety consultants guide →Muck-awayMuck away: lorry loads, costs and how to bookMuck away is the removal of excavated soil, clay, rubble and hardcore from a site by grab lorry or tipper. One 8-wheel grab lorry takes about 16 tonnes, often as...Read the muck-away guide →Plant hirePlant hire: digger, dumper and telehandler hire costs, cards and safetyA 1.5 tonne mini digger typically costs about £80 to £240 a day or £300 to £650 a week to hire, before VAT, fuel and delivery. Compare local plant hire...Read the plant hire guide →Portable toiletsPortaloo and portable toilet hire: how many you need, costs and the rulesFor a construction site, HSE guidance points to one chemical toilet for every seven workers, serviced weekly, with proper hand washing beside it. A standard site toilet typically costs about...Read the portable toilets guide →PPE and workwearHi-vis, PPE and workwear: standards, costs and what employers must providePPE and workwear suppliers sell hi-vis clothing, safety boots, hard hats, gloves and branded workwear, mostly online with UK-wide delivery. Employers must provide PPE free of charge. Compare suppliers, check...Read the PPE and workwear guide →CDM consultants and principal designersPrincipal designers and CDM consultants: costs, duties and F10 notificationPrincipal designer services for a small project usually start at about £1,000–£2,000. See when CDM 2015 requires a principal designer, when to send an F10 to HSE, what the three...Read the principal designers and CDM consultants guide →Van waste collectionRubbish removal: costs, your options and how to avoid fly-tippersRubbish removal means paying a registered waste carrier to collect and dispose of household, garden or builders' rubbish, usually by van or tipper. Most firms charge by the cubic yard....Read the rubbish removal guide →Scaffolding and towersScaffolding and scaffold tower hire: costs, licences and safety checksScaffolding for a typical two-storey semi costs roughly £800–£1,500, including putting it up, the hire period and taking it down. Compare local scaffolders, see when a mobile tower will do...Read the scaffolding guide →Septic tank emptyingSeptic tank and cesspit emptying: costs, how often and the rulesA septic tank should be emptied at least once a year, or as the manufacturer says, and a cesspit much more often because nothing drains out of it. A typical...Read the septic tank emptying guide →Skip hireSkip hire: prices and how it worksSkip hire typically costs about £100–£220 for a mini skip, £200–£340 for a 6 yard skip and £250–£450 for an 8 yard builder's skip, including delivery, collection and disposal. See...Read the skip hire guide →Soil testingSoil testing and waste classification: WAC tests, costs and when you need themBefore excavated soil leaves site, it has to be classified as hazardous or non-hazardous, and landfills often need a WAC test too. That means sampling and lab analysis. Lab prices...Read the soil testing guide →Traffic managementTraffic management and temporary traffic lights: permits, costs and the Red BookAny work that affects a road or pavement needs signs, cones and barriers set out to the Red Book, the statutory code of practice. Temporary traffic lights need the council's...Read the traffic management guide →Vacuum excavationVacuum excavation: how it works, costs and when to use itA vacuum excavator loosens soil with a compressed-air lance or water jet and sucks it up a wide hose into a debris tank. HSE guidance lists it as a safe...Read the vacuum excavation guide →Wait-and-loadWait and load skip hire: how it works, loading time and costsWith wait and load, the skip lorry arrives, you fill the skip while the driver waits, and it leaves full in the same visit. It suits streets with nowhere to...Read the wait and load guide →Welfare unitsWelfare unit hire: costs, sizes and what the law requiresEvery construction site must have toilets, washing, drinking water, somewhere to change and dry clothes, and a warm place to rest and eat, from the first day to the last....Read the welfare units guide →
In one paragraph
The short version
Most domestic jobs need a 6 or 8 yard skip. For soil, rubble or concrete a 6 yard is the largest that can be filled completely, and a grab lorry is often cheaper for big loads. Load level with the fill line, keep upholstered seating and plasterboard out of the general load, and if the skip is going on the road rather than your drive, allow extra days for the permit. On a building site, toilets, washing and a warm rest area are required from day one.
Guides to each skip size
Dimensions, bin-bag capacity, heavy waste rules and the suppliers offering each size.
Mini skip · 4 yard skip · 6 yard skip · 8 yard skip · 12 yard skip · Roll-on roll-off
Local rules differ by council. See skip hire by area for permit arrangements where you are.
Every supplier sets its own terms. Hire period, minimum hire, delivery charges and what's included all differ between suppliers. Ask when you enquire, and search your postcode to see who covers your site.