What you can put in a skip
Rubble, bricks and concrete Yes
Including tiles and hardcore. Heavy, so watch the weight limit.
Soil and turf Yes
Clean soil and stones are non-hazardous. Heavy, so a smaller skip is often better.
Wood and timber Yes
Doors, skirting, floorboards, fencing and old kitchen units.
Metal Yes
Pipework, radiators, guttering and scrap metal.
Garden waste Yes
Branches, hedge cuttings, turf and green waste.
Household clear-outs Yes
Non-upholstered furniture, cardboard, packaging, plastics and general junk.
Bathroom and kitchen fittings Yes
Baths, sinks, toilets, ceramics and worktops.
Carpet, underlay and glass Yes
Non-hazardous household materials.
Whatever you put in, load it level with the sides and no higher. See skip sizes for how weight changes the size you need.
What can't go in a skip
These are banned by waste law or by the landfill and treatment sites' permits, not just by the skip firm.
Asbestos Banned
Hazardous waste. HSE says it should be double wrapped, labelled and taken to a licensed site, and it needs a consignment note even from a home. HSE says any building built or refurbished before 2000 may contain it.
Liquids Banned
Liquid waste is banned from landfill, including liquid paint, oils, fuel, solvents and chemicals.
Tyres Banned
Whole and shredded tyres are banned from landfill. Tyre fitters and many council tips take them.
Electrical items Banned
Anything with a plug or battery falls under the WEEE Regulations and needs separate recycling.
Fridges and freezers Banned
Hazardous waste. Their refrigerant gases must be recovered by a qualified technician.
Batteries Banned
Car batteries are hazardous, and crushed lithium batteries start fires. Fire chiefs reported over 1,200 battery fires in bin lorries and waste sites in one year.
Gas bottles and aerosols Banned
Pressurised containers can explode in crushers and fires.
Fluorescent tubes Banned
They contain mercury and are hazardous waste. Most LED bulbs aren't, but they're electrical, so recycle them separately.
Clinical waste and chemicals Banned
Sharps, medicines, pesticides and other hazardous chemicals need a specialist collection.
Sofas and upholstered seating: keep them separate
In England, waste upholstered seating is treated as likely to contain persistent organic pollutants (POPs) from fire retardants. Government guidance says it must not be mixed with other waste, "including in a skip or container", and must be incinerated, not landfilled or recycled. If it's mixed in, the whole load has to be treated as POPs waste. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have similar rules.
Covered by the rules
Sofas, sofa beds, armchairs, recliners, upholstered kitchen and dining chairs, garden furniture, stools and footstools, office chairs made to domestic fire standards, futons, bean bags, and floor and sofa cushions.
Outside the rules
Mattresses, beds, curtains, blinds, small scatter cushions and chairs with no upholstery.
Ask your skip firm if they'll take it separately, usually for an extra charge, or book a rubbish removal collection or your council's bulky waste service.
Plasterboard: keep it separate
Plasterboard is gypsum, which is high in sulphate. When it breaks down with food and garden waste in landfill it can give off hydrogen sulphide gas, so the law says gypsum waste may only go to landfill cells where no biodegradable waste is accepted. Any amount counts: the old 10% allowance was scrapped in 2009. Many skip firms supply a separate bag or skip for it so it can be recycled.
Items that may cost extra
Mattresses Ask first
Not banned by law and outside the POPs rules, but many skip firms charge extra for them.
Paint Ask first
Liquid paint is banned. Fully hardened water-based paint is often accepted. Solvent-based paint stays hazardous even when dry.
Plasterboard Separate
Many firms accept it in its own bag or skip, sometimes at an extra charge.
What happens if banned waste is found?
Mixed skips are usually sorted at a waste transfer station, so hidden items tend to be found. Depending on the item, you'll usually pay a surcharge, get the item back, or, for asbestos, face a stopped load and a specialist collection. If you're charged, ask the skip firm for a photo of the item.
Your duty of care
Householders must check that whoever takes their waste is a registered waste carrier. In England, failing to do this can lead to a fixed penalty of up to £600, or prosecution. Every supplier marked Verified on this site has had their registration checked against the official register.
Skip waste questions
Can you put a sofa in a skip?
Not mixed with other waste. Sofas and other upholstered seating must be kept separate and incinerated because they may contain persistent organic pollutants. Ask the skip firm to take it separately, or book a separate collection.
Can you put plasterboard in a skip?
Only if it's kept separate. Gypsum can't go to landfill with biodegradable waste, so many skip firms supply a separate bag or skip for plasterboard.
Can you put a mattress in a skip?
There's no legal ban, and mattresses are outside the POPs rules, but many skip firms charge extra for them. Ask before you book.
Can you put paint in a skip?
Not liquid paint, because liquid waste is banned from landfill. Fully hardened water-based paint is often accepted, but solvent-based paint is hazardous waste even when dry.
Can you put soil and rubble in a skip?
Yes. Clean soil, rubble, bricks and concrete are fine, but they're heavy, so check the weight limit. A 6 yard skip is the largest most firms let you fill completely with heavy waste.
Can you put electrical items in a skip?
No. Anything with a plug or battery must be recycled separately under the WEEE Regulations. Shops that sell electricals must take back your old item when you buy a similar new one.
Know what's going in? Now pick your skip size, or see how skip hire works.
Prices and council fees in this guide are examples taken from published price lists and council websites. They change and vary by area, so always confirm the cost with the supplier before you book.