What Can I Put in a Builders’ Skip?

Builders’ skips are designed for the heavy, mixed waste that building work produces. Mixed construction waste such as rubble, broken blocks, old tiles, timber offcuts and packaging can all go in together. So can kitchen units, doors, old bathroom suites and garden waste. Heavy materials like soil and rubble are fine in builders’ skips but are subject to weight limits, so do not fill a skip with soil unless it has been agreed.

Separating clean materials, such as hardcore or timber, can make them easier to process, and on larger jobs a dedicated skip for one material can be worthwhile.

Plasterboard and other gypsum-based products must not be mixed with general waste, because gypsum in landfill alongside biodegradable waste can produce harmful gases. Many suppliers accept plasterboard if it is kept separate – in its own skip, a bag or a partitioned section – and arranged in advance. Tell us how much you have when you book. More detail is on our plasterboard page.

Some materials are controlled because they can harm people or the environment and must go to facilities licensed to handle them, with the correct paperwork. In England and Wales, hazardous waste moves under consignment notes regulated by the Environment Agency or Natural Resources Wales; in Scotland the equivalent is “special waste”, regulated by SEPA. Items that need this route include:

• Asbestos – arrange asbestos disposal, never put it in a skip
• Paints, solvents, oils, fuel and chemicals – see hazardous waste disposal
• Fridges, freezers, TVs and other electricals – see WEEE collection
• Batteries, gas bottles, fluorescent tubes and tyres – each needs its own collection route

Upholstered domestic seating – sofas, armchairs, sofa beds, upholstered dining and office chairs, and similar – may contain persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in its foam or fabric. Rules require this waste to be destroyed rather than landfilled or recycled with general waste, so it must not go in a general skip. It can be collected separately; see upholstered furniture or ask about a bulky waste collection.

If you are a business – including a builder or contractor working at a customer’s property – the duty of care requires you to describe your waste accurately, use registered carriers and keep waste transfer notes. Hazardous waste needs the correct consignment paperwork: consignment notes in England and Wales and special waste consignment notes in Scotland.

In Wales, workplace recycling rules in force since April 2024 require businesses and other workplaces to separate key recyclable materials, such as paper and card, glass, metal and plastic, and food waste, rather than mixing them with general waste. Construction waste has its own considerations, so if you are working in Wales, tell us what materials you expect to produce and we can arrange separate skips or collections where they are needed. See commercial skip hire for business options.

• Load to the top edge and no higher; overfilled skips cannot be transported safely.
• Put heavy, flat items at the bottom and break down bulky items to save space.
• Do not light fires in a skip or add liquids.
• Do not let others add waste you did not agree – on-street skips sometimes attract fly-tipping, so consider a lockable skip.

Under the duty of care, you should use registered waste carriers and keep a waste transfer note for your waste. Your supplier provides this.