Seven councils, seven sets of skip rules
The West Midlands is made up of seven metropolitan borough councils, and each licenses skips on its own roads. Prices and periods vary a long way, even between neighbouring towns:
- Sandwell (West Bromwich, Oldbury, Smethwick): £48 for up to 10 days, £30 for each 10 day renewal, and £230 if the skip is already down before applying.
- Solihull (Solihull, Shirley, Knowle): £89.50 per skip per calendar month, with at least 2 clear working days' notice.
- Walsall (Walsall, Willenhall, Bloxwich, Aldridge): charged per day, from £12.40 a day for up to a week on an ordinary street, more on traffic-sensitive streets, and £61.20 a day for anything over a month.
- Dudley (Dudley, Stourbridge, Halesowen): applications can take up to 5 days, and the skip must be removed within 2 days of being filled.
In every borough the skip company makes the application, not the householder. For local detail, see the town pages for Solihull, West Bromwich and Sandwell, Dudley, Walsall, and the cities of Birmingham, Coventry and Wolverhampton.
Birmingham's Clean Air Zone
Birmingham has the only Clean Air Zone in the county, a Class D zone inside the A4540 Middleway. A skip lorry that doesn't meet the emission standards pays £50 a day to enter it, so for a city centre job, ask whether any zone charge is included. Outside Birmingham, no zone charges apply.
Whichever borough you're in, a skip on your own drive or private land needs no licence. The size guide helps you pick a size by weight as well as volume.