When hiring a skip bin, you want to get the most out of it and the time you have it hired for. You could just fill it and hope for the best, though that might not work, depending on the amount of waste and the waste types that you’re disposing of. To maximise your effectiveness and fill up all those pesky air pockets, you need to think strategically about your rubbish so you can fill the skip to the rim flawlessly. Below are a few tips on the best ways to fill a skip bin.
How to pack your skip bin
Once your skip bin has been delivered to your location, you should create a plan of attack in terms of the order of how you load your items into the skip. We have a few tips for loading a skip bin properly that will help you make the most out of the skip bin. First of all, though, your health and safety is key when you fill a skip. Make sure you’re lifting waste correctly and bending at the hips and knees to prevent damaging your back so you can carry on safely and effectively while filling the bin.
When you hire a skip, you pay for it by the size of the skip bin. Nobody likes wasting money. It’s easy to get carried away with loading waste into the skip to make the most of your hire. To make sure you hire the right skip bin, contact the team first to discuss the range of skip hire options available. That way, you can be sure you choose the right bin for your needs. Once you’re all booked in, it’s worth planning out how you stack everything inside the skip bin to not only maximise your space but also your safety. Think of loading a skip bin in the manner in which you would think about loading a shopping bag at the supermarket. You want to place all the heavier items first (like bottles of milk) and then flat items on the sides (or on the very bottom) and all the lighter groceries items on top. The same thinking partially applies to the way to load a skip bin.
Start with flat items
To start off filling up your skip bin, consider placing flat objects, such as plywood or other types of timber or even types of metal in the bottom of the bin first. These will lay flat inside the skip bin without taking up too much space. While these items wouldn’t be difficult to add in later on, there is then a risk of them falling out or having to shove them down little gaps when you run out of room.
Add in heavy, bulky items
Once you’ve loaded the flat items in, break up any bulky items you want to add in next. After that, you can start placing heavy items on top of flat items to minimise the possibility of creating any air pockets. The heavier items should be placed towards the bottom to balance out the skip for when it gets collected.
Finishing with lighter items
After these bulky items have been added, you can finish loading your skip bin with lighter items such as green waste, paper and cardboard. These items fill the space in your skip where there are gaps and air pockets. Try to fill the gaps between the heavy items where you can. This is how you make the most of your skip bin like a pro. Consider it like a game of Tetris where you need to make the most of the lot of space you have within the skip bin.
Monitor the rim of the skip bin
Throughout the process of filling the skip bin, make sure you’re monitoring the rim of the bin. Skip bins cannot be filled past the rim. This is to ensure a safe removal of the skip when the bin is collected. It’s unsafe to transport a skip with items that are sitting above the rim of the bin as they are likely to fall out and could cause accidents. See the section below for more on why you shouldn’t overload your skip bin.
Why you shouldn’t overload your skip bin
Skip bins are like a big bucket that collects your rubbish. Each skip bin has a limit of how much rubbish can be placed safely inside. This limit is usually the top/rim of the bin and is where your rubbish load should stop.
Risk of health and safety
Health and safety regulations require a skip bin business to remove skip bins efficiently and effectively. This means skips should not be overfilled or overloaded to ensure the skip can be removed and transported safely. It’s actually illegal to transport an overloaded skip bin. Nor is it safe for the driver and those around them. Before you overfill your skip, consider if you would feel safe driving behind a truck with an overfilled skip on the back. You would think twice about driving behind one.
Extra charges and/or fines
The last thing you want is having to either remove items above the rim of the bin or be hit with extra charges or fines even for overloading waste into the skip. Due to the health and safety risk overfilled skip bins pose, skip companies are likely to receive fines for transporting overfilled skips as it places it in the dangerous and hazardous category. It is likely they may not even accept your rubbish removal and request you remove the overfilled rubbish and dispose of it another way before they collect the correctly filled bin.
It may not be collected
If you overfill your household rubbish bin and place it out for collection and notice that the driver did not take your bin, it is most likely because the rubbish inside exceeds the size of the bin and poses a spillage risk. The same applies to when you hire skip bins. Items that exceed the top of the skip might be asked to be removed before collection. Another thing to note is that items that do not fit inside the skip bin but have been placed next to the skip bin will not be collected by a skip bin hire company. If it’s not inside the skip and below the top, it will not fit on the truck for collection.
Weight restrictions
Some skip bin hire companies have a certain weight restriction based on their range of skip bin sizes. If you go over the weight restriction, the driver may request that you remove some items or charge you a higher fee for the extra added on weight. If you’re unsure on how much weight your desired skip bin can take, ask the team before you book your next waste disposal skip bin.
Think of your neighbours
Skip bins are not pretty to look at during the best times. But an overloaded skip bin is even worse to look at and could upset your neighbours. They will also be able to see everything you’ve placed on the top of your skip bin. You then also run the risk, if you’ve placed lighter items on top, of the wind blowing debris onto the road or into yours or your neighbours’ front or even back garden, which is never a nice look.
