Whether you are doing some DIY, having some building or renovation work done, or just having a big clear out, hiring a skip is a great way of disposing of a large amount of rubbish and waste.
However, if you have never hired a skip before or if you have experienced problems with hiring a skip before, you could find this to be quite a daunting task.
Whether you are a beginner or an expert in skip hire, the following tips can help to ensure that you are disposing of your waste correctly and responsibly, that the process is as effortless and problem-free as possible, and that you get the most out of hiring a skip.
Book Your Skip in Plenty of Time
If you know when you will need your skip, it is a good idea to book it as far in advance as possible to increase your chances of getting one when you need it for. If you leave it too late, you may not be able to get one in time, or you may have to get a skip that is not practical or cost-effective.
Be Smart When Loading Your Skip
To make the most of your skip, you should load the biggest, bulkiest, and heavier items at the bottom, then load smaller, lighter items towards the top. This will help to ensure that you get as much waste in your skip as possible.
Do Not Overload Your Skip
There are strict regulations regarding how much waste you can put in a skip. If stacked too high, with waste reaching over the top of the skip, the skip is at risk of becoming unbalanced when it comes to lifting it onto the trucks. Not only is this dangerous, but it is also illegal. So, you must take care to not overload your skip.
Get a Licence
If you want to leave your skip on the road, rather than private land such as a driveway, garden, or building site, you will need to obtain a license before hiring a skip. It can take up to seven days to get a permit from your council, so you must get in touch with your local council as soon as possible to arrange this in time.
Some skip hire companies may sort out permits for you, so it is worth checking whether this is something that a company offers before booking your skip hire and applying for a permit. Here at LSPS, we can apply to your local council for a permit and complete all the necessary paperwork on your behalf.
Do Not Put Hazardous Waste in Your Skip
Any hazardous waste cannot be disposed of in a skip. Some of the most common items that cannot be put in a skip include asbestos, batteries, clinical or medical waste, electrical appliances and equipment, liquids, paint or cans of paint, and tyres.
If prohibited items are found in your skip upon emptying, the restricted items are likely to be returned to you, and you may be required to pay an extra charge.
Protect Your Surface
Skips can potentially cause damage to gardens and driveways, particularly those made with soft tarmac or block paving, if placed directly on the surface. To reduce the risk of damage, place scaffolding planks or large pieces of wood down for the skip to rest on.
Select the Right Size Skip
The best way of ensuring that your skip does not become overloaded is to get the right size skip for the job.
Ensuring that you get the right size skip for your requirements will mean you do not end up overpaying for a skip that you are not going to fill, as well as preventing you from needing to hire a second skip should it not be big enough to hold all your waste.
Two-yard mini skips are ideal for most homeowners looking to get rid of household waste. Whereas an eight-yard maxi skip with a drop-down door for easy loading is typically used by builders. Larger 20-yard and 40-yard roll-on, roll-off skips are also available for bigger projects.
If you are unsure what size skip would be the most cost-effective and adequate size for your waste disposal, take a look at this skip size guide or consult an expert.
Our team at LSPS is experienced in supplying skips for all kinds of waste disposal, from small domestic jobs to large commercial projects. If you have any queries regarding skip hire or require assistance in choosing the ideal skip for you, please get in touch with us today via 0800 083 7807 or info@lspsskiphire.co.uk.
Quick Tips for Hiring Skips
Reasons to Hire a Skip in Winter
Winter is the perfect time to clear out your home in preparation for spring. Although winter is not typically recognised as a time of year for having a big clear out, there are actually many benefits to hiring a skip during the winter months.
Post-Christmas Clear Out
At Christmas time, homes tend to become more cluttered, and people have the tendency to fill their cupboards, garages, sheds, and attics with items that are not to be seen or used for a long time.
You should resist the urge to do this and instead hire a skip to dispose of all your unwanted and unused items, along with the excess amounts of rubbish that accumulates over the festive period.
Post-DIY Clean Up
If you have completed home improvement projects during the warmer months, you are likely to have accumulated a lot of rubbish, such as old carpet, tiles, wallpaper, and other decorating supplies. Instead of letting this rubbish take up valuable space or having to make several trips to the local skip, hire a skip to dispose of it all at home.
Boost Your Mood
As the days get shorter, colder, and gloomier, it is common for people to begin to feel uninspired and unmotivated. Taking time to have a thorough clean can boost your mood and make you feel better.
Your mind mimics the physical space that you live in; a cluttered house equals a cluttered mind, and a tidy house equals a tidy mind.
Wardrobe Clear Out
Winter is a great time to sort through your wardrobe and get rid of the clothes you have not worn all year, or that are looking a little bit worse for wear, so you have a streamlined wardrobe ready for the new year.
You may want to hand down or donate clothing that is still wearable, but for items that have been ruined during DIY projects, have holes in, or are otherwise damaged, having a skip is also useful for disposing of unwanted clothing.
Convenient
When it is cold outside, you are likely to be more hesitant to go outside or to take trips to and from your local skip with a car full of rubbish. Having a skip outside means you can avoid having to venture out into the cold as much.
As you will be spending more time inside, it is the perfect time to have a clear out. Resist putting it off until springtime, as then when the warmer days return, you can go out and enjoy the nice weather rather than spending your days cleaning.
Eco-Friendly
Hiring a skip is an eco-friendly option as it means you are making reduced car journeys to dispose of waste and ensures that your waste is disposed of responsibly.
Here at LSPS, we offer a complete waste disposal management solution, by operating an on-site waste transfer station and are committed to recycling to lessen the pressure on landfill sites. This means that there is no need to separate your waste and you can put all your waste into one skip, saving you time and money.
LSPS is a family-run business that is experienced in supplying skips for both domestic and commercial projects. If you are interested in hiring a skip this winter, get in touch with us via 0800 083 7807 or info@lspsskiphire.co.uk to discuss your requirements, or click here to order your skip using our easy-to-use online booking system.
How to Minimise Christmas Waste
Christmas is often the most indulgent time of the year. A lot of us go all out on decorations, presents and food this time of year. Although it is a wonderful time of the year to treat ourselves and the ones we love, it inevitably means that we are creating a lot of waste. Here we discuss how to minimise Christmas waste
Plan ahead
One of the best ways to minimise Christmas waste is by planning ahead. Always have plenty of bags with you to avoid having to buy additional ones in shops. Have a thorough list of what you need to avoid buying what you don't need. It's common to forget what you already have in your home in terms of Christmas decorations, wrapping paper, Christmas cards, etc. Before you buy anything new, do a stocktake of what you already own to avoid unnecessary or duplicate purchases. Stick to your list at all times and try to avoid impulse purchases.
Reuse Christmas wrapping
When it comes to choosing Christmas wrapping, stick to plainer options that are recyclable. Consider an alternative to the traditional wrapping paper. Could you perhaps wrap a present in a nice scarf or use a newspaper? There are plenty of options that help minimise waste. Always reuse gift bags and ribbons each year as well to reduce waste as well as save money.
Recycle old Christmas cards
It’s sometimes a shame to get rid of your Christmas cards at the end of the season. Why not reuse them? Keep special Christmas cards from close friends and family in a scrapbook. Alternatively, keep the cards you love the design of and use them to create gift tags for next year. Just make sure you remember you have done this to avoid buying new ones unnecessarily next December.
Don’t be wasteful with your food
One of the simplest ways to reduce your waste is by choosing food that comes loose such as fruit and veg rather than opting for the same items covered in plastic packaging.
Try and stick to only the food you think you will actually eat. This time of year we normally end up with tons of unopened food or leftovers that can be extremely wasteful. Plan ahead and ensure you have ways to use these leftovers up. For example, make a turkey curry with the leftovers from your Christmas day meat. It reduces your food waste and tastes delicious.
Check ahead with your guests
If you are the host this year, ensure your guests know what exactly they are expected to bring food-wise. If you do not plan this in advance you could end up with duplicates of dishes and way too much food to eat which will just end up going to waste.
Don’t use disposable cutlery
If possible, avoid disposable cutlery, plates, and napkins wherever possible. Material napkins often look nicer and last for years. Disposable cutlery and plates are ideal when you are expecting a few guests, however, they create a huge amount of waste. Instead, ask if you can borrow cutlery and plates that you need from your guests.
Donate or sell items
Once Christmas Day is over and all the presents are opened, people tend to want to get rid of older items to make way for their new gifts. Before you throw anything away, ensure you no longer have any use for it. See if you can upcycle it, donate it to a local charity, give it to a friend or family member, or sell it. If all of these options have been tried, then you can perhaps hire a skip to get rid of all the old items you no longer need in one go.
Make your own Christmas decorations
A homemade Christmas decoration can mean so much more and also means you are not creating as much waste as there will be no packaging. There are many tutorials to help you get started. If you are tired of your old Christmas baubles, think about giving them a makeover rather than simply throwing them away. Traditional round baubles for example can have a crocheted or knitted cover created or be covered in fabric which can give them a whole new lease of life.
Dispose of your waste correctly
Despite us being able to significantly reduce our waste, we will still create some waste that we cannot avoid. The waste we do create during this time must be disposed of correctly. Always check your local council and local recycling centre so that you fully understand the best way to dispose of your Christmas waste such as your wrapping paper, plastic packaging, and Christmas tree.
If you are a large household you may even want to hire a skip in order to get rid of your waste. This has the benefit of getting rid of your waste in one go and reassures you that as much as possible will be correctly recycled to avoid landfill.
Minimising Christmas waste doesn’t mean that we can't enjoy the festive season in the same way. The methods above are just small, simple changes that we can all be making. Collectively, we can all minimise our waste meaning we can enjoy the festive season, even more, knowing that we are not causing the environment as much damage as we have perhaps done in previous years.
How to have an eco-friendly Christmas
A lot of us are becoming more conscious of how eco-friendly our home is and during the Christmas season it can sometimes be difficult to be environmentally friendly in all aspects of Christmas preparation. However, it is possible - all it takes is some preparation and planning ahead. Here we share how to have an eco-friendly Christmas.
Avoid pointless stocking fillers and presents
It is common for people to panic shop and end up buying items that people will not have much use for or simply buy things for the sake of it. This is not the best way to shop as it leads to huge amounts of waste. What is the point of buying something generic that the recipient will not get a lot of use out of and in reality will probably just keep hidden in a drawer? Plan your presents carefully in advance to ensure you buy them something they need or will definitely use.
Buy things that are made to last as well. Think quality over quantity to ensure you are reducing waste as much as possible. Try and avoid presents that come with large quantities of plastic packaging.
The greener the tree the better!
Consider carefully where your Christmas tree is coming from if you buy real trees. When Christmas tree shopping, search for the FSC certified logo. This symbol helps ensure that the tree has been grown in a sustainable way which doesn’t cause environmental damage. For additional reassurance, aim to get one that is also certified by the Soil Association. This means that the tree is guaranteed to be pesticide-free and organic.
Although real Christmas trees have a significantly lower carbon footprint than artificial trees, many of us opt for an artificial one for many reasons. The downside to artificial trees is that they involve a huge amount of plastic and energy consumption during manufacturing. When buying your tree, always aim to buy one that will last you as many years as possible. If you notice your tree is damaged when you are retrieving it from the garage or attic, buy a new stand or head to a DIY store to fix a branch rather than a whole new tree if possible.
Go green with your gift wrapping
The wrapping paper options we now have are seemingly endless. However, a problem with a lot of wrapping paper is that they are made with mixes of materials that are almost impossible to recycle. Not all local councils accept wrapping paper so you must check your local rules before the season begins. Also, aim to avoid glittery paper and opt for plainer kraft paper instead. You can still make your presents look beautiful with more simple paper, then accessorise it with string, holly sprigs, or even dried orange peel.
Shopping for sustainable wrapping paper is luckily becoming easier each year. More and more retailers are banning glitter from their gift wrap and Christmas cards which is brilliant news.
Have a reusable advent calendar
Why not invest in a reusable advent calendar rather than buying a new one each year? They look beautiful and the design options are endless. The joy of a reusable advent calendar is that you can personalise the treats and switch them up each year.
Use LED lights
When choosing your Christmas lights, go for LED lights where possible. They are 80% more efficient than traditional lights, making them an obvious choice when aiming to be more environmentally friendly. They can sometimes be more expensive but tend to last longer which is another benefit.
Be careful with Christmas cards
Similar to wrapping paper, a lot of Christmas cards are covered in glittery designs which means they cannot be recycled. Choose Christmas cards that can be recycled or better yet are made from recycled paper. Whilst it is lovely to send and receive Christmas cards, they can contribute to a large amount of Christmas waste once the season is over. Consider sending ecards instead. If you do want to send physical Christmas cards, send them as early as possible to ensure they are on display for the longest possible time. Before you throw away the cards you have received, see if you can turn any of them into gift tags for next year.
Choose sustainable decorations
One of the best parts of Christmas is decorating the house. Turning our homes into winter wonderlands is so much fun, especially as the cold, dark nights draw in. Instead of opting for glittery decorations made of plastic, try and choose more sustainable materials such as wood. An even better option is to forage for your own decorations. Head to your local woodlands and see if there are any pine cones of pieces of holly you can take. Just ensure you always follow the foraging rules and that you are taking from the correct areas and are leaving enough for everyone else and wildlife to enjoy.
Make your own wreath
Not only is it more sustainable to create your own wreath, but it’s also a lot of fun and a great chance to be creative. Head outdoors and collect foliage and berries. Finish with orange slices, cinnamon sticks, and ribbons for the perfect festive wreath. If you are not sure where to start, there are plenty of tutorials online with step by step instructions.
Be sustainable with your crackers
Crackers are a Christmas staple but a lot of the crackers can not be recycled and also contain small plastic toys that no one wants. Swap the novelty gifts for something your family and friends will actually want. Choose crackers that can be recycled whenever you can. Alternatively, you can buy reusable crackers. Not only can you place your own personalised gifts in them, but you can also enjoy them year after year.
Source your festive food sustainably
Where possible, buy your Christmas food from local stores. Going to your local butcher for your meat reduces your carbon footprint significantly, shows your support for a local company, and also means you know where your meat is coming from.
Christmastime often involves huge amounts of waste due to the increased amount of products and food we buy. Making small changes and becoming more eco-conscious in all aspects of our Christmas preparations and celebrations means that it is now easier to have an eco-friendly Christmas.
Recycling Mistakes You Might Be Making
With horrific amounts of plastic in our oceans and the dangers this entails, we are all becoming increasingly aware of our need to reduce plastic waste and recycle as much as we can. Many of us now have recycling initiatives at our place of work and increase our recycling at home. However, despite our best intentions, we may not be recycled correctly. Here are some common recycling mistakes you might be making.
Thinking all plastic can be recycled
Although a lot of plastic can be recycled, not all types can. Whilst some people place all their plastic in recycling and hope for the best, certain types cannot be recycled for various reasons. We should all be aware of these types so that we try and avoid buying items in this packaging, to begin with. For example, black and dark plastic is extremely difficult to recycle. The type of pigments used to form the dark colour makes it difficult for automated recycling materials to sort and identify. As there is no easy way to fix this, black plastic tends not to be recyclable.
Certain plastic containers cannot be recycled either such as yoghurt pots or takeaway containers. This is often due to the mixture of materials used to make the packaging. Try and reuse your takeaway containers or avoid this type of plastic where possible.
Not recycling aerosols or cleaning products
In opposition to the previous point, sometimes people assume items are not recyclable and place them in their normal waste bin. For example, deodorant cans and aerosols are commonly thought not to be recyclable when in fact they are. Just ensure they are empty before you place in the recycling. The same goes for bleach and cleaning products. Many of us think because bleach and other cleaners are potentially toxic to the environment, the bottles will contaminate the recycling process. As long as the bottles are cleaned and emptied thoroughly, this shouldn’t be an issue.
Recycling dirty items
Although a lot of packaging can be recycled, it does depend on the quality of the material. It is important that the containers and packaging do not have any food stains or food left in them when you place them in the recycling bin. A common example is a takeaway pizza box. Although the box can be easily recycled because its made from cardboard if there are pizza grease stains on it, recycling cannot happen. The same goes for dirty tin cans or plastic containers. Just ensure your rubbish is in a clean enough state before you place it in the recycling bin.
Placing recycling items in a plastic bag
A lot of people place their recycling in a plastic bag before they take it outside to the main bin. Although this is convenient, it causes more harm than good. Empty the bags into the bin but don’t place the plastic bags in it as well. Although you can, of course, store them in a plastic bag to keep them organised in your home, the items should be loose in the main recycling bin.
Recycling plastic bags
This leads on from the previous point. Although plastic bags can be recycled, they are often not accepted by many councils. You should instead cut down on the amount of plastic bags you use. The ones you do have, make sure you keep reusing them to make them last the longest time possible.
Recycling wet newspaper
Although the newspaper can be recycled, the same is not true for wet newspaper. You cannot always predict the weather and the newspaper may accidentally become wet. However, if it does happen remove it from the recycling bin and place it in your compost bin instead.
Not separating glass
This mistake depends on your local recycling rules. In some areas of the country, people have a separate bin for their glass items. You must have a thorough understanding of which items go in which bin to maximise your recycling efforts
Recycling Christmas lights and hoses
Although made from plastic, Christmas lights and garden hoses can cause a problem. They can easily become tangled around other items and even equipment and machinery at recycling centres. This can cause serious, costly damage.
Recycling scrap metal
When tidying out their house, shed or garage, many people come across a lot of materials they no longer need, including bulkier items such as scrap metal. Although scrap metal can be recycled, these items should be placed in a skip or taken to a recycling centre, not just placed in your recycling bin at home.
Recycling old clothing
It is great to make use of old clothing rather than simply throwing it away and it ends up in landfill. However, clothing cannot be recycled. Instead, donate it by taking it to a local charity shop or charity collection bin that many supermarkets now have.
Recycling bubble wrap
Bubble wrap is often placed in the recycling bin because it is plastic. However, it shouldn’t be. Instead, reuse the bubble wrap for your next house move or see if anyone else needs it.
Recycling crisp packets
Crisp packets are often made from a mixture of materials and it is because of this that they often cannot be recycled. Although you may automatically assume they should be recycled, ensure they end up in your general waste bin.
It can be easy to be green and recycling, on the whole, is a simple task. However, the list above shows just some of the common mistakes being made when it comes to recycling. As long as these are avoided, the levels of recycling that can be achieved could increase significantly which is always great news.
How long does our waste take to break down?
We are now more aware than ever that we need to get rid of our waste in the most responsible way as possible. This is important as there are many materials that take years, decades, or even centuries to decompose. Here, we answer the question “how long does our waste take to break down?"
Under a year
Train tickets
Cotton gloves
Cardboard
Thread
Rope
Newspaper
Up to 5 Years
Plywood
Wool clothing
Up to 15 years
Lumber
Painted board
Cigarettes
Between 20 and 100 years
Leather (25-40 years)
Nylon clothes (25-40 years)
Tin cans (up to 50 years)
Foamed plastic cups (up to 50 years)
Rubber-soled boots (50-80 years)
Up to 500 years
Batteries (up to 100 years)
Batteries are one of the most dangerous items to be left in a landfill. As the thin metal casing will decompose in approximately 100 years, the heavy metals inside will be left exposed. Unfortunately, these metals will never decompose and are toxic.
Aluminium cans (200 years)
Sanitary pads (at least 500 years)
plastic bags (at least 500 years)
plastic bottles (up to 450 years)
Over 500 years
Glass bottles (up to 2 million years)
Styrofoam (DOES NOT DEGRADE)
Tin Foil (DOES NOT DEGRADE)
It is important to note that although glass bottles can take a staggering 2 million years to naturally decompose, they are easy to recycle due to the fact that they are mostly made out of sand.
Food Waste
It is reasonable to believe that because food waste comes from the ground, it should decompose quickly. However, this is not actually the case. Different food items decay at different rates. Whilst something like a banana peel may take up to a month to decay, orange peels can take six months. Surprisingly lettuce leaves that are in landfills can stay up to a quarter of a century before they decompose completely. This is another reason why food waste should also be kept to an absolute minimum.
Although this list is not comprehensive, it is a scary concept to consider the fact that a lot of the rubbish we personally create in our lifetime could still be around centuries after. However, it is not all doom and gloom. There are many little changes we can all make to our everyday routines that can help reduce the amount of waste we produce. From cutting back on plastic in our beauty routines, to using reusable coffee cups, avoiding plastic bags for shopping, and keeping our clothes for longer.
Some of the figures shared above are truly shocking. They highlight the vital need to reduce using these materials where possible and if we do use them, check to see if they can be recycled first. Hiring a skip is an efficient way to ensure as much as your waste is being recycled as possible.
Garden Maintenance Tips for Autumn
The Autumn months are the perfect time to get your garden in order. No matter what size garden you have, the amount of rubbish that can build up can be surprising. You can quickly end up having more waste than your wheelie bin can handle and this is when you should consider hiring a skip. Doing so now and tidying up your garden means that your garden will be sorted for the Winter months and ready for Spring. Here are some gardening maintenance tips for Autumn.
Keep on top of Autumn leaves
Although not all trees shed their leaves, the majority do and you can quickly find your garden overwhelmed by them. Although keeping some of them to one side can help create important habitats for wildlife to shelter in during the cold winter months, the rest can be bagged when they are dry and thrown away into a garden waste skip. The same applies to branches. Although you can keep some around your garden for wildlife, you may have too many and need them to be removed.
Next, you should look at your flower beds. If you have flowers that have died and will not return next year, have these removed to keep your flower beds neat and provide you room to plant some more bulbs for next Spring. As there are usually restrictions on the amount of soil you can place in domestic wheelie bins, hiring a skip can be a great option.
Trim hedges
As you get into Autumn, it is time to think about trimming hedges to keep growth under control. Depending on the size of your garden, this can be a mammoth task. Before you start, you must know where you are going to place your waste. Also, you must check for birds' nests before you start. It is illegal to disturb nests until the chicks have grown up and flown away from the nest.
Landscaping
Autumn is also the perfect time to get landscaping jobs done ready for you to enjoy next year. Before the weather takes a turn for the worst, you can try and sort out the patio, raised beds, or any other projects you have been putting off doing. Having a skip at hand is perfect to help you get these jobs completed quickly and efficiently, leaving you with no mess to clear up.
Tidy out the shed
Now the Summer is over, a lot of the garden furniture will have to be covered and stored away. This is often in the shed or the garage. Before you store everything away, take the time to tidy out your shed and garages. They gather unwanted items and rubbish quickly, sometimes taking up valuable space that you now need. With gardening jobs minimal for the next few months, you will be grateful in Spring that you have taken the time to sort everything out now. Anything you no longer need, find an alternative home. If that fails, your skip will be at hand to help you dispose of the waste.
Fix your fencing
If you notice there are weak areas of your fence, it is always a good idea to get them fixed before the colder, windier weather arrives. Fences can often end up damaged or even blown away, making the job even bigger and also leaving your property insecure. By dealing with it now, you can ensure you have sturdy fencing before Winter arrives.
The jobs discussed above show how hiring a skip for your garden needs can be a worthy seasonal investment. Whilst the weather is still mild enough to spend outside, it’s the perfect time to organise your garden and finish any jobs you were intending to do during the Summer. Before hiring your skip, ensure you check for any restrictions. If you know what you are intending to throw away, check with the skip hire company that they accept all of those materials.
