Skip hire
Skip hire
Skip hire costs £140 to £550 for a 7 to 14 day hire depending on size, from a 2 yard mini to a 12 yard maxi, on rent-a-skip's 2026 UK ranges, while MyJobQuote puts the same sizes at £60 to £440 (September 2026). The most common size, an 8 yard builders skip, has a median of £331 across 1,400 towns, from £183 around Swansea to £517 around Truro (rent-a-skip price index, July 2026). rubbishremoval.trade lists local skip hire firms by town with their direct numbers, so you can ring the yard and get a written quote.
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
- Kitchen or bathroom refit with old units, tiles and plasterboard bagged separately
- Garden clearance with soil, turf, hedge cuttings and broken paving
- Loft or garage clear-out of boxes, old timber and broken furniture (no sofas)
- Small extension or patio dig-out with rubble and hardcore
- Landlord clearing a flat between tenants, with upholstered seating collected separately
| Size | Typical price | Typical job |
|---|---|---|
| Mini (2 to 3 yard) | A 2 yard mini skip costs £140 to £220 for a 7 to 14 day hire on rent-a-skip's 2026 figures, but £60 to £130 for a 2 to 3 yard skip on MyJobQuote's September 2026 guide. | Bathroom refit with old suite, tiles and a few bags of rubble |
| Midi (4 to 5 yard) | A 4 yard midi skip costs £180 to £280 for a 7 to 14 day hire on rent-a-skip's 2026 figures, or £100 to £250 for a 4 to 5 yard skip on MyJobQuote's September 2026 guide. | Kitchen refit with old units and worktops, plasterboard bagged separately |
| Builders (6 to 8 yard) | An 8 yard builders skip costs £280 to £420 for a 7 to 14 day hire on rent-a-skip's 2026 figures, or £160 to £370 on MyJobQuote's (September 2026), with a national median of £331 (July 2026). | Kitchen strip-out with old units and plasterboard bagged separately |
| Large (10 to 16 yard) | A 12 yard maxi skip costs £370 to £550 for a 7 to 14 day hire on rent-a-skip's 2026 figures, or £220 to £440 on MyJobQuote's September 2026 guide, with 16 yards at £240 to £500 (MyJobQuote). | Full house clearance of light, bulky household items, with sofas collected separately |
| Roll on roll off | A 20 yard roll on roll off skip costs £300 to £600 and a 40 yard £400 to £800 on MyJobQuote's September 2026 guide, while rent-a-skip quotes £350 to £1,150 and £600 to £1,450 (April 2026). | Ongoing site waste on a building or demolition project |
What is involved
A skip firm drops an open steel container at your property, leaves it for an agreed hire period, then lifts it back onto the lorry and takes it to a transfer station where the waste is sorted, recycled or landfilled. Standard hire is 7 to 14 days. Rent-a-skip quotes extensions at 50 to 75% of the original hire fee, or £30 to £80 for another 7 days on its FAQ page, so agree the end date before the skip arrives.
Sizes are measured in cubic yards. Mini skips are 2 to 3 yards, midi skips 4 to 5 yards, builders skips 6 to 8 yards and maxi skips 10 to 16 yards. Rent-a-skip's 2026 size guide puts an 8 yard skip at roughly 12ft by 6ft by 4ft, holding 60 to 80 bin bags or about 72 wheelbarrow loads. All dimensions are approximate and vary between makers.
Weight matters as much as volume. Soil, rubble and concrete fill a skip's weight allowance long before it is full, which is why Mick George says its 12 yard skip is not suitable for soil or hardcore. Overweight surcharges run at £50 to £150 (rent-a-skip, July 2026). Load the skip level with the rim, because a firm can refuse to lift an overfilled skip.
A skip on your own drive needs no permit. A skip on a road or pavement needs a permit from the highway authority, which is the county council in two-tier areas, and the skip firm usually applies for it. Fees ran from £12.50 to £260 across 176 councils, with a median of £64 and a London average of £101 (rent-a-skip, June 2026). Many permits run for 7 days while the hire runs 7 to 14, so ask who pays if the permit needs extending.
Some waste is refused or charged extra. Sofas, armchairs, recliners and other upholstered seating may not go in a skip or to landfill: since 1 January 2023 the POPs rules require them to be kept separate and destroyed, and GOV.UK says landfill operators must not accept them. Plasterboard must be kept separate from general waste because gypsum may not go into a landfill cell that takes biodegradable waste, and rent-a-skip lists a contamination surcharge of £80 to £150 when it is mixed in (July 2026). Asbestos, tyres, fridges and freezers, paint, oils, batteries, fluorescent tubes and clinical waste are also refused or surcharged in standard skips (rent-a-skip FAQ, October 2026).
Choosing a firm
Check the firm's waste carrier registration on the public register: the Environment Agency in England, NRW in Wales, SEPA in Scotland or DAERA in Northern Ireland. In England, permits replace registration from 22 July 2027. A firm registered only as a broker or dealer, with no carrier registration, is not registered to carry waste itself, so another company will do the job.
Ask what the quoted price includes: delivery, collection, the hire period, the weight allowance, VAT and the permit. Ask how overweight loads are charged, what the firm charges for a mattress or plasterboard, and what happens if the skip is still needed after the permit expires.
Ask for a receipt that names the firm and its registration number. Businesses must keep a waste transfer note for each load. A householder who hands waste to an unregistered carrier can be fined up to £600 under the household duty of care in England (since 31 July 2023), and fly-tipping carries a fixed penalty of up to £1,000.
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Common questions
How much does it cost to hire a skip?
On rent-a-skip's 2026 figures, a 2 yard mini costs £140 to £220 and an 8 yard builders skip £280 to £420 for a 7 to 14 day hire. MyJobQuote's September 2026 guide is lower at £60 to £130 and £160 to £370. Both exclude permits, so get a written quote with your postcode.
Do I need a permit for a skip?
Only if the skip goes on a road or pavement. A skip on a road or pavement needs a permit from the highway authority, which is the county council in two-tier areas, and the skip firm usually applies for it. Rent-a-skip found fees of £12.50 to £260 across 176 councils in June 2026, with a median of £64.
Can I put a sofa in a skip?
Sofas, armchairs, recliners and other upholstered seating may not go in a skip or to landfill: since 1 January 2023 the POPs rules require them to be kept separate and destroyed, and GOV.UK says landfill operators must not accept them. Book a separate collection for sofas and armchairs; mattresses are not covered by the POPs rules but often carry a surcharge.
Can plasterboard go in a skip?
Not mixed with general waste. Plasterboard must be kept separate from general waste because gypsum may not go into a landfill cell that takes biodegradable waste, and rent-a-skip lists a contamination surcharge of £80 to £150 when it is mixed in (July 2026). Bag it separately and tell the firm before it arrives, as some will take it in a separate skip or bag.