Skip hire
Skip bag collection
A skip bag with collection costs £212.99 to £336.99 inc VAT from Hippo, depending on size (October 2026), while rent-a-skip's July 2026 guide puts a bag at £5 to £35 and a collection at £70 to £120. The two sources disagree widely because Hippo's bags are larger and rated to 1 to 1.5 tonnes, while rent-a-skip describes a generic bag of about 1.5 cubic yards and about 250kg. Check the bag's weight rating and the collection price before you buy.
What this covers
What it costs. Prices by size and region, and what moves them, are in the cost guide. Full cost breakdown.
Typical jobs
- Small garden clear-up of cuttings, soil and old pots
- Clearing a single room or shed where a skip will not fit
- Bathroom refit with tiles and a broken basin
- Terraced house or flat with no driveway for a skip
- Keeping plasterboard separate from a skip on a refit job
What is involved
A skip bag is a heavy-duty woven bag that you fill yourself and leave out for a crane lorry to lift away. The bag is often sold in a builders merchant or online, and the collection is booked and paid for separately or as a bundle.
Hippo publishes three sizes: the MIDIBAG at 90cm by 90cm by 90cm rated to 1 tonne, the MEGABAG at 180cm by 90cm by 70cm rated to 1.5 tonnes, and the HIPPOSKIP at 210cm by 165cm by 100cm rated to 1.5 tonnes. Hippo's October 2026 prices with collection were £212.99, £245.99 and £336.99 inc VAT.
Hippo says sofas, cushions and upholstered items are not accepted in its bags. That matches the POPs rules: since 1 January 2023 upholstered seating may not go to landfill or be mixed with other waste. Plasterboard should also be kept separate.
The bag must be placed where the collection lorry's crane can reach it, usually on a drive or front garden near the road. Ask the firm how far from the kerb it can lift and whether anything such as cables, trees or parked cars could block it.
A skip bag needs no skip permit when it sits on your own land. Ask the collection firm before you put one on the pavement or road.
Choosing a firm
Check who will collect the bag and that the collector is a registered waste carrier with the Environment Agency, NRW, SEPA or DAERA. A bag bought from one company may only be collected by that company.
Ask what the collection price covers, how long it takes to arrive after you book, the weight limit, and what happens if the bag is overweight, overfilled or contains refused items. Ask whether a failed collection, for example if the crane cannot reach, is charged.
The skip hire page covers the rules.
Read next
Common questions
How much does a skip bag collection cost?
Hippo's bag and collection prices were £212.99, £245.99 and £336.99 inc VAT for its three sizes in October 2026. Rent-a-skip's July 2026 guide gives £70 to £120 for collection of a generic bag. Prices differ with the bag size and weight rating.
How much does a MEGABAG hold?
Hippo lists the MEGABAG at 180cm by 90cm by 70cm with a 1.5 tonne weight limit. With collection it cost £245.99 inc VAT in October 2026.
Can I put a sofa in a skip bag?
No. Hippo says sofas, cushions and upholstered items are not accepted, and the POPs rules since 1 January 2023 mean upholstered seating may not go to landfill or be mixed with other waste.