Skip or tip hire is the big question when it comes to disposing of items. Suppose you’re having a big clear-out or renovating your home or garden space. When carrying out a large task like this, the waste can build up quickly and turn into a large pile — certainly more than will squeeze into your typical household wheelie bins.
If it doesn’t fit into the wheelie bin, what is the ideal way to dispose of it? Tip or skip? Does the job just need few trips to the local household recycling centre, or should you hire a skip to collect the waste on-site?
Let’s explore the pros and cons of both waste removal methods. Each are beneficial, so it depends on your circumstances as to which disposal method suits you.
Pros of visiting the tip
- Suitable for small amounts of waste or if you have mainly one type of waste.
- They are free — however, if you have lots of waste, you may need to take multiple trips to the waste site, which can be messy for your vehicle, costly in regards to fuel, and time-consuming.
- If you only need to dispose of a few items, tips can be a great choice. However, a big clear-out or renovation project will take more than one trip!
- Easy solution if your waste is not heavy.
Cons of visiting the tip
- Travelling to the tip during a renovation can be inconvenient and time-consuming. Filling the car up, driving to the tip, sitting in traffic, and carrying heavy waste to the car cut into your renovation time and focus.
- If you are using a car to transport your waste to the skip, this could result in some damage and mean the car will need a professional valet after all the trips.
- Various councils only operate the tips at certain hours, so you may have to wait to dispose of your waste.
Leeds council tip opening times are usually 8-4 pm. However, this does depend on which Leeds rubbish tip you choose to visit. You can find Leeds rubbish tips in the Pudsey, Kirkstall and Meanwood areas.
If these aren’t local to you, a quick search for waste management on your local council website can assist you with finding local tips and the opening hours for them.
If you don’t have a vehicle and are considering using a man with a van, think about the pros and cons of this option against the convenience of skip hire.
Pros of hiring a skip
- When you hire a skip, it’s dropped off where you need it to fill it with your waste, which is then collected. Only a little carrying is involved as skips are placed on-site, so it’s easy to fill and hassle-free.
- Skips can handle large amounts of rubbish, whereas your vehicle may not. Heavy materials can weigh your car down, fill quickly, and result in several trips to the local recycling centre.
- Skip hire involves one set fee and can save you time and money. Compared to trips to the tip, the loading and unloading of waste can take a long time, as can the journey back and forth.
How much does skip hire cost?
The great thing about hiring a skip is that it is far more economical than tips because you don’t need to pay for fuel or multiple trips. It’s a one-off payment to get a skip delivered to your home and removed once finished. It’s a very simple process and saves you time and money.
If you’re getting rid of dusty, dirty, bulky, or heavy waste, we’d recommend hiring a skip instead of using your own car to transport the waste. At best, you will have to clean your car out afterwards, but at worst, you could damage your upholstery, bodywork, or paintwork. An overloaded vehicle also makes rear-view vision difficult, which can be dangerous.
It’s easy recycling! Chuck it in the skip, and your skip hire company will sort through it for you. If you are unsure if your waste would be suitable for skip hire, we have guidance on what you can’t put in a skip.
You’re not limited to the opening times of your local tip and you don’t need to remember to take your household recycling centre permit to the tip with you if you.
Of course, we are biased, and there is a cost involved with hiring a skip. But when you look at the pros and cons of tip vs skip, it’s easy to see which method is most accessible.
Forge can deliver and remove skips from your property at a convenient time, take away nearly all types of waste, and the skip can be place a mere step away from your construction site.
Featured image credit: Kurhan