Building Your Dream Apartment

Garden Variety: Choosing The Best Skip For Garden and Landscaping Waste Disposal

24 October 2017

Julian Caldwell

Landscaping your garden or commercial green space can be a tremendously effective way to make your home or business premises more attractive and inviting, but sprucing up your lawns and verges won't count for much if they're buried under the piles of soil and organic waste created by your project. Arranging for the disposal of substantial quantities of garden waste is therefore vital to any landscaping project, and hiring a skip bin is one of the most efficient and convenient ways to dispose of large quantities of organic matter.

However, skips come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, and some are more suited to garden waste disposal than others. To help ensure that the skip you hire is the skip you need, keep the following questions in mind when shopping around for skip bin hire services:

How large should the skip be?

Landscaping almost invariably creates more waste than anybody expects, and it's important to make sure that your skip is capable of adequately containing all the waste your project produces. Depending on the nature of your landscaping project, the total amount of waste you produce may include loose soil, bricks, flagstones, uprooted plants and even the occasional felled tree, so make sure to include all potential sources of waste in your estimates before deciding on a skip size.

You should also bear in mind that some forms of garden waste, such as loose, dry soil and hedge trimmings, can be compressed to create more space in your skip. However, it's generally advisable to opt for a skip slightly larger than the one you'll think you need, as overfilling your skip can lead to more frequent (and expensive) emptying runs.

Should the skip have a lid?

If you choose a skip with a lid, the lid will generally have to be tightly closed before it can be transported, which may limit the amount of waste you can fit inside it. However, garden waste left in the open for more than a few days can start to rot remarkably quickly, posing a sanitary hazard and making you distinctly unpopular with anybody downwind of your skip. An uncovered skip full of soil and other absorbent materials can also become incredibly heavy if it rains, making skip removal more difficult and hazardous.

You should therefore try to estimate how long you will need your skip for, and choose a skip with a lockable, relatively tight-fitting lid if you expect to be using your skip for a week or more. 

Should I choose a solid skip or skip bags?

Lightweight, portable skips bags are an excellent choice for many landscaping projects, as these projects generally do not create the sharp glass and concrete waste that can tear a skip bag to shreds. Choosing skip bags means you can easily drag bags to the specific areas you are working on, making disposal quick and convenient. They are particularly useful if you lack a roadside space where a conventional skip can be placed.

However, skip bags are less reliable if you will be dealing with large amounts of tree matter (such as branches and whole saplings), as an errant branch can punch an expensive hole in even the toughest bag. You should also ensure that your bags are placed by the roadside before they become too heavy to move manually.

Share

Search