Picking the right skip for the job starts with what the waste is made of. When customers call, the first question is nearly always about size. Yet two projects can produce the same pile and need completely different skips. One pile might be light and mixed, while the other is dense and heavy. After more than a century of loading lorries across West Lancashire, we can usually name the right skip within a minute. This guide explains our reasoning, so you can do the same. Our full range is on our skip sizes page if you want the dimensions too.
Why material decides the right skip for the job
Every skip has two limits. One is the space inside it, and the other is the weight our lorry can lift. Which one you hit first depends entirely on the material.
A skip full of old sofas, flat-pack furniture and bin bags runs out of space long before it runs out of weight. By contrast, a skip a third full of concrete, soil or tiles can already be at its lifting limit while looking almost empty.
That is why we ask what the job is, rather than how much rubbish you think you have. Our guide to skip size versus weight limits in West Lancashire goes deeper into the numbers. In short, light mixed waste is a volume problem, and heavy inert waste is a weight problem. The right skip follows from knowing which one you have.
Moving home and household clear-outs
People are often surprised by how much waste a house move creates. Years of loft and garage storage come to light at once. Besides, paying a removal firm to move things you no longer want makes no sense.
This is classic light mixed waste, bulky and awkward but not heavy. Our 4 tonne midi skip hire handles most moves and clear-outs. It holds roughly 65 to 85 full bin bags, takes furniture easily and fits on a normal driveway.
The trap to avoid is old carpet and mattresses left out in the rain. They soak up water and add weight you did not plan for. So load them last and keep them covered where you can.
Garden and landscaping projects
Garden jobs sit in both camps at once, which makes them tricky. Hedge cuttings, branches and dead plants are light. However, once a project involves digging, everything changes, because soil and turf are among the heaviest things we collect.
A garden tidy with green waste alone suits a midi skip. On the other hand, lifting a lawn, digging out borders or breaking up a patio creates heavy inert waste. Depending on the amount, that means either a carefully loaded midi or a builders skip from the start. Tell us if soil or hardcore is involved. That way, we size the job properly, and you do not find the weight limit the hard way.
Renovations and building work
Renovation waste is where choosing too small a skip costs real money. A stripped-out kitchen or knocked-through wall creates rubble, plaster, timber and packaging all at once. For most home building projects, our 8 tonne builders skip hire is the answer. It takes between 180 and 240 bin bags of waste and copes with dense material far better.
One rule applies whatever skip you choose. Keep plasterboard separate from general waste rather than mixing it through the load. Tell us when you book if your job involves it, and we will explain the right arrangement.
Not sure whether an item can go in at all? Our guide to what can you put in a skip covers accepted and banned waste. For paint, chemicals and batteries, see the GOV.UK hazardous waste guidance.
Business premises and larger sites
Commercial clear-outs, shop refits and site clearances produce waste on a larger scale. At that point, ordering builders skip after builders skip becomes a false economy. The step up is a roll on roll off skip, which we run in 20 and 40 yard sizes.
The decision is simpler than people expect. Our guide on when to upgrade from a builders skip to roll on roll off shows where the crossover falls. As a rough rule, if you are pricing a third builders skip exchange, a RoRo was the right skip for the job from day one.
One recycling centre behind every skip
Whichever skip suits your job, the destination is the same. Every load comes back to our own recycling centre. There, our team sorts it so as much as possible is recovered rather than landfilled. You can read how it works on our environmental and recycling page.
Matching the skip to the material helps here too. Well-matched loads sort faster and cleaner, which helps keep prices sensible. We deliver across our whole area, from Leyland skip hire in the north to Chorley skip hire in the east, plus Ormskirk, Southport and everywhere between.
Would you rather describe the job and let us choose? Call our team on 01704 779345 or send details through our contact page. We will confirm the right skip for the job and a delivery date the same day.
