Stable yard clearance is a spring job for many yards around Longton. Plenty of stables, liveries and private yards sit tucked away across the flat ground here, and every one of them builds up clutter. Spring is the time to deal with it, before the field work starts. A yard clearance produces an unusual mix of waste. In fact, a couple of the items are not skip waste at all. Our Longton skip hire service covers many of these yards.
The muck heap is a separate matter
This is the first thing to settle, because it comes up every time. Manure and soiled bedding are not skip waste. They count as agricultural waste and follow different rules, with their own storage and spreading requirements.
Most yards already have a plan for it. Some spread it on their own land, while others use a contractor or a local farm. If yours does not, talk to an agricultural contractor rather than trying to solve it with a skip.
Muck and bedding should never go in a skip with the rest of the clearance. It contaminates the whole load, gets very heavy when wet and does not belong in a mixed waste container.
Rubber matting is the heavy item
Everyone underestimates stable matting. It is dense rubber, and each mat is far heavier than it looks. So a yard replacing matting across several boxes produces a serious weight from a modest pile.
Old matting is usually soaked and soiled when it comes out, which adds even more weight. If you are replacing matting, tell us, because it affects the skip size more than anything else. Our page on skip size versus weight limits explains why weight is usually the limit that matters.
Cut matting into pieces where you can, rather than moving whole mats. A single wet mat is a two-person lift, and it will not go into a skip easily.
The plastic and the twine
Yards produce a lot of plastic. Typical items include feed and bedding bags, supplement tubs, wormer packaging, haylage wrap and sacks of baler twine.
Wrap and bags are bulky but light, so fold and squash them before loading. Otherwise, loose wrap blows into the next field by lunchtime on this flat, open ground. A skip half full of air also wastes money.
Baler twine needs a special mention. It tangles and wraps around everything it touches. So bag it or bundle it, rather than leaving it loose in the skip.
Fencing, timber and treated material
Most stable yard clearance jobs include fencing. Expect rotten posts and rails, old electric tape, broken jump wings and often the remains of a field shelter.
All of that timber is treated, and you should never burn treated timber, however tempting a bonfire may be. The preservative chemicals come off in the smoke. Put it in the skip, and we will deal with it. Our guide to what you can put in a skip covers the wider list.
Old fence posts often come out with concrete on the end. Knock the concrete off where you can and keep it separate. Clean concrete gets crushed and reused, whereas mixed loads are harder to recover. Our environmental and recycling page explains what happens to each type of waste.
Veterinary products and chemicals
Every yard clear-out turns up half-used containers. These include wormers, sprays, disinfectants, waste oil from the mower and old fuel cans.
None of this is skip waste. Sharps in particular need proper disposal and must never go near a skip. Our guide to hazardous waste and why it cannot go in a skip explains what to do instead. If you are unsure about an item, set it aside and ring us before the skip arrives.
Older yard buildings raise one more question. Corrugated cement roof sheets on older stables, barns and field shelters may contain asbestos. Have them checked before anyone disturbs them, and read the HSE guidance on asbestos.
Sizing and access for stable yard clearance
Most yard clearances are bulky, so an 8 tonne builders skip is the usual choice. However, if matting or a lot of concrete is involved, a smaller skip on exchange often works better. A large skip would simply reach its weight limit half full.
Access is the other spring question. A yard with hardstanding is a simple drop. By contrast, a field gateway or soft track after a wet winter is harder. Our drivers will tell you if a route looks risky, rather than getting a lorry stuck.
We cover this stretch of the plain regularly. We also run Tarleton skip hire and Hesketh Bank skip hire jobs alongside Longton.
If the job takes in a barn or outbuilding as well as the yard, our article on barn clearance in Mawdesley explains how we handle that kind of rural clear-out.
Ring us on 01772 364399 and tell us whether matting is coming out, because that one answer sizes the job. Our contact page is there if you would rather send the details.
