Hire terms
The rules of hiring a skip from us. Most of it is common sense; the parts that are not are usually the law rather than us being awkward.
Last updated 13 September 2026
1. What you are hiring
You are hiring the skip, not buying it. It stays our property throughout. The price covers delivery, the agreed hire period, collection and licensed disposal of what is inside, within the limits below.
2. What cannot go in
Under no circumstances: asbestos, gas bottles, fire extinguishers, liquid paint, chemicals, oils, fuels, solvents, batteries, tyres, fridges, freezers, air-conditioning units, clinical or medical waste, or anything explosive. These are hazardous and require separate licensed disposal, which we can arrange as its own collection.
Plasterboard and gypsum must be kept separate from general waste by law. Tell us when you book and we will make the right arrangement. If plasterboard is mixed into a general skip we may have to charge for the load to be separated.
If prohibited items are found in the skip, the cost of removing and disposing of them correctly is charged to you. We will show you the transfer station's charge, not a mark-up.
3. Loading and overloading
Fill it level with the top rail. Anything above the rim cannot legally be carried on a public road, and the driver will refuse to lift it — he is the one who gets prosecuted. If we arrive to an overloaded skip and you cannot bring it down there and then, a wasted-journey charge applies.
Every size has a safe carrying weight. Soil, rubble and concrete are far heavier than they look; an 8 yard skip filled with rubble will exceed what the lorry can lift long before it looks full. If your load is mostly heavy material, ring the office before you order and we will tell you which size to take.
4. Access and placement
You are responsible for making sure the lorry can reach the drop point on the agreed day, with clear space and overhead clearance. If we cannot deliver because a vehicle is in the way, the gate is locked or access is blocked, a wasted-journey charge applies.
Skips are heavy. On block paving, tarmac, or soft ground they can leave marks. We put boards down as standard, but we cannot accept liability for damage to driveways, drains, or underground services where you have directed us to place the skip.
5. Road permits
A skip on a public road needs a council permit, lights and markings. We apply on your behalf and the fee is shown separately in your quote. Permits take time to issue — usually a few working days, longer over bank holidays — so a road placement cannot be same-day. If the council refuses the permit we will refund the permit fee in full.
6. Hire period, changes and cancellations
The standard period is stated on your booking. Finished early? Ring us and we will collect sooner at no charge. Need longer? Tell us before the collection date and we will quote the extension.
Cancel more than 48 hours before delivery and you get a full refund. Inside that window we may keep a charge covering the slot we have already committed a lorry to. Once the skip is on your drive, the hire has started and it is not refundable, though we will always collect early if you have finished.
7. Payment
Online bookings are paid at the time of booking by card, handled by Stripe. Account customers are invoiced on agreed terms. Prices exclude VAT at 20%.
8. Liability
We are responsible for doing the work with reasonable care and skill, and nothing in these terms limits liability for death, personal injury caused by negligence, or fraud. We are not liable for losses that were not foreseeable when you booked. If you are a consumer, your statutory rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 are unaffected by anything written here.
9. Getting hold of us
01928 618168 · hello@smithswasteremovals.co.uk