A clear-out always feels bigger than it is, and the worry is usually whether everything will fit. The answer, more often than not, is yes, provided you load the skip with a bit of thought rather than throwing things in as they come to hand. After years of skip hire in Ormskirk we have seen every loading habit going, so here are the few that make a real difference to how much you fit and what you pay.
Break large items down first
Bulky objects are the enemy of a well-packed skip, because they trap pockets of empty air around them. Taking ten minutes to dismantle furniture, flatten boxes and break pallets and shelving into flat panels frees up far more room than it seems it should. The mistake most people make is loading the big things first and then struggling to slot the rest around them, when breaking them down would have let everything sit flush.
Load light to heavy
Start with lighter, compressible material like cardboard and soft waste, then build heavier items on top so their weight settles the load and squeezes the air out from underneath. This is the opposite of the instinct to get the heavy things in first, but it gives you noticeably more usable space and keeps the load stable for transport. Filling small gaps with bagged offcuts as you go stops things shifting and tumbling out.
Picking a size you will not outgrow
Loading well only helps so much if the skip is too small to begin with. A 4 tonne midi skip covers most household clear-outs, while an 8 tonne builders skip suits a job with heavier waste. If you are torn between two sizes it is usually cheaper to take the larger one than to need a second collection, and our guide to choosing the right skip size walks through how to judge it.
A quick word on what cannot go in
However well you pack, a few things still have to stay out, including tyres, paint, fridges, batteries and electrical goods. Keeping those aside avoids a contaminated load and the charge that comes with it, and we are always happy to point you to the right route for them. The reason for the rules is set out on our environmental and recycling page, where you can also see how the sorted waste is recovered.
Across Ormskirk and the wider area
We cover Ormskirk and the surrounding villages, and the same team runs our Southport skip hire service over toward the coast, so the advice and the service are the same wherever your clear-out happens to be.
If you would like a hand picking a size before you book, just ask. Contact our Ormskirk team or call 01704 779345 and we will point you the right way.
