What is a mini skip?
A mini skip is the smallest standard skip in the UK, holding 2 or 3 cubic yards of waste. A 2 yard mini skip is typically about 5 ft long, 3 to 4 ft wide and 2.5 to 3 ft high, small enough for a narrow driveway, a front garden or the space in front of a terraced house. Exact sizes vary between manufacturers.
Can a mini skip take heavy waste?
Yes. Because it is small, a mini skip can be filled all the way to the top with dense material such as soil, rubble, bricks, concrete and tiles without going over the lorry's weight limit. That makes it a good choice for small heavy jobs where a bigger skip would be wasted space.
What a mini skip suits
- Bathroom strip-outs, including tiles and a suite
- Small garden clear-ups and soil from a planting bed
- Lifting a small patio or path
- Clearing a shed or single room
- Tight access where a larger skip cannot be placed
Mini skip or van collection?
For a small, one-off load, a rubbish removal collection can be quicker, because the collector loads the waste for you and there is no skip or permit to arrange. A mini skip makes more sense when the job runs over several days or produces heavy material you want to load yourself.
Permits
No permit is needed on your own driveway or private land. On a public road or pavement the local council must issue a permit, and the skip company normally applies for it. See our skip permit guide.
The fill line
Load the skip level with its sides and no higher. An overloaded skip cannot be legally carried, and the driver can refuse to collect it until the excess is removed. Some items cannot go in any skip at all, so check what can and cannot go in a skip before you start loading.
Need more room?
If a mini skip is too small, a 4 yard skip still takes a full heavy load and holds more. Not sure? See our guide to skip sizes.
Finding a mini skip near you
Search by your site postcode to see local suppliers who deliver mini skips to your area, with their from prices and the checks we have made on their waste registration. You contact the supplier directly and agree the price, hire period and any permit costs with them. There is no booking fee.