Skip Waste – What Happens To Your Waste?

What happens to your skip waste?

So, what do you think actually happens to your rubbish/waste once your skip waste has left your site/property? Well, you’d be forgiven for thinking that it gets driven away and tipped into a giant hole in the ground, lots of people do! Of course there might be certain elements of the skip’s contents that will unfortunately end up at Landfill after processing. Ultimately, the aim for everyone in the Industry is for Zero to Landfill with some already achieving this.

The large majority of our preferred suppliers will operate from their own transfer station, which is a processing site for the temporary deposit of waste. Here it is processed before being transported to the end point of disposal. This could be at landfill, an incinerator, a hazardous waste facility, or for further recycling.

Skip waste will usually be tipped out at the operator’s site and either sorted in a designated area by hand or put through a system of machines and picking lines. A great deal of today’s skip waste is now recyclable, including:

Plastic, Wood, Paper, Cardboard, Glass, Textiles, Green Waste, Hardcore, Soil, PVC-U, Electrical items, Plasterboard.

Hazardous waste/materials are not permitted in our containers, occasionally these items can slip through the net. Upon discovery they are segregated immediately and where possible returned to the hirer for disposal.  These can include:

Asbestos, Chemicals, Batteries, Solvents, Pesticides, Oils (except edible) and Fridges/Freezers.

Remember when filling the skip that with many companies your waste will be sorted by hand so be thoughtful to what you put in the skip. For example clinical and animal waste is not permitted!

Once the materials have been separated into groups they can be sent off to their designated plant to be disposed of responsibly and often made into something new.

Most companies are very strict about sending as little as possible to landfill, not only because of environmental factors but because it is usually much cheaper to recycle materials rather than send them to the tip.

We make sure all of our suppliers have their waste carriers licences and are dedicated to responsible waste management. You should be wary of a company that will not tell you what will happen to your waste once it has been removed.

Fly tipping is an issue throughout the UK, and if your waste is traced back to you (which can easily be done) you could find yourself with a hefty fine, even if you have paid someone else to take the waste away.

You can avoid this by asking for an invoice with their licence details to prove that they are registered to dispose of your skip waste.

The FindaSkip team have been working within the skip hire, waste management and recycling industries for many years and so are always happy to answer any questions you may have. You can call us on 0800 019 4530 or visit our website for an instant quote.