Everything You Need to Know Before Hiring a Commercial Skip
As a commercial business, you will typically produce huge volumes of waste of many varieties, including hazardous, electrical and confidential. Whether you’re planning an office move or a restaurant revamp, commercial skip hire can help you to both house and dispose of this waste. Here is everything you need to know before hiring a commercial skip.
What are the uses?
Commercial skip hire is a useful tool for occasions where significant volumes of waste are produced, such as: revamping your office or retail unit, demolitions and refurbishment, landscaping projects, moving premises, and office clearouts.
Selecting the right size:
Commercial companies often need to hire a bigger size skip to contain the large amounts of waste they produce. If you are filling a skip with heavy, dense materials, such as soil or rubble, you cannot hire a skip that is larger than 8 yards (80 bags of waste), as it cannot be lifted by the lorry. For less dense materials, large commercial skip sizes include; maxi-skips at 8-16 cubic yards (80-160 bags of waste), and roll on roll off (RoRo) skips, measuring a colossal 20-30 cubic yards (200 – 300 bags of waste).
Obtaining skip permits:
Skips cannot be placed on public property without a skip permit, and there will be further restrictions on location for especially large skips. If you are positioning on public property, check your local rules in regards to what kind of reflective markings, safety lights and traffic cones you will require for visibility. Professional skip hire companies, such as Woodford Recycling, will obtain the skip permit on your behalf.
Length of hire period:
Skip permits generally last between 1 – 2 weeks. Some companies, such as Woodford Recycling, can offer a wide range of contract types right from single day hires to long term contracts – for companies embarking on an extended project.
Access and location:
Skips should be placed in a location where there is minimum disruption to vehicles entering and leaving your premises. The skip hire company should also be able to access your location to deliver the skip. The skip should not block access to your neighbour’s premises, and should not pose a fire risk. One thing to consider with soft tarmac is that it can cause dents when the lorry exerts pressure, whilst lifting your skip.
Informing staff:
Before you hire a skip, inform staff of its planned location, size and length of stay, just in case there are any access issues or disruptions to the working day.
Extra attention: Remember that commercial skips and the lorries that transport them will be heavier than usual, and therefore the ground of your premises needs to be durable enough to withstand the weight. Especially large skips, such as roll on roll off skips, need plenty of space for delivery and removal, so factor this into your preparations.
Overfilling: Skips cannot be filled past the sides, otherwise you may face a fine. Instead of risking overfilling, try to be realistic about the size/number of skips you will need for your project.
Responsible disposal:
We’re living in an age where businesses should focus on environmental responsibility. Therefore, it’s important to use the services of a skip hire company who are committed to recycling. Woodford Recycling are proud of our our green record and we aim to recycle 100% of the waste we collect.
Hazardous waste/confidential waste:
It’s common for businesses to produce hazardous, electrical or confidential waste, all of which will need a special waste disposal approach. Some items are forbidden from entry into a skip, including: unshredded papers or hard drives with personal data, electrical equipment, batteries, toxic waste, asbestos, clinical waste, plasterboard etc. Consult with your skip hire company to discuss an alternative solution.
If you’re planning a business overhaul and are in need of trustworthy commercial skip hire, look no further than Woodford Recycling. Get in touch with our team to explore your waste disposal options, and to arrange a free quote.
