Cheap rubbish removal: How to get rid of your junk without breaking the bank

So you’ve finally got round to clearing out the garage, but you had no idea how much rubbish you’d end up with.

Working out how much waste you’ll have to get rid of after a clear-out isn’t always easy, but fortunately, there are a few cheap rubbish removal solutions that aren’t as tricky.

Here are several cheap rubbish removal ideas for you to get your clutter cleared away without having to dip into your savings…

Donate quality items to your local charity shop

Charity shops are always looking for donations of clothes, books, toys and anything else you think they might be able to sell to raise funds.

There are often places to make a quick drop-off so you don’t even have to go in and wait to talk to someone if you’re in a hurry.

Donating to charity shops not only helps with much-needed fundraising, but it’s also a great way to reuse clothes so they don’t end up in landfill.

MORE: The five Rs of waste management: Refuse, reduce, reuse, repurpose, recycle

Or to make life even easier, simply throw up a Facebook post listing all the items you have to get rid of to see if any friends or family fancy coming over to pick them up. Baby clothes, prams and cots are always appreciated by new parents, for example.

Of course, only so much of your rubbish will be in good enough condition for a charity shop, but it is a green and charitable way to get rid of at least some of it.

Sell your things at a car boot sale

If you’re planning to load all your stuff into the car anyway, you might as well stop off at the local car boot sale and make a few quid while you’re at it.

Clothes and books are some of the more popular items sold at car boot sales, as well as antiques and retro products. Just be careful not to pick up too much stuff for yourself that you don’t need; car boots are full of blasts from the past and it can be difficult to resist some of those nostalgic temptations…

Of course, the car boot sale approach does require you to get up extra early on a Sunday morning, so if that’s a deal-breaker, you might want to consider a more comfortable solution to selling your old junk…

Auction off your stuff on eBay

You’d be surprised at how much interest your old junk can attract on an online auction site like eBay.

Unlike a car boot sale, auction sites are full of specialist collectors looking for all kinds of things; one man’s junk is another man’s treasure. It’s likely you’ll find a buyer for even the most obscure items, so be sure to write a detailed title and description so the aficionados can find your items.

Getting rid of your clutter on eBay does involve quite a bit of work, from taking photos to show off your wares to working out shipping costs and hauling it down the Post Office.

You may find some things only receive a few bids and go for next to nothing, but if you’re prepared to put in the work, it can all add up to a decent profit by the time you’re finished.

Repurpose your rubbish and get creative

Even rubbish that’s destined for the recycling bin can be transformed into other useful things that’ll be sure to start a conversation next time you have guests over.

Attractive wine bottles (such as the ones pictured) can be repurposed as outdoor lanterns to safely light your patio.

Tires can be transformed into coffee tables, shoes into quirky plant holders… and if you’re looking for a side-hustle to earn some extra cash, you can even sell repurposed products on platforms like Etsy, which has a thriving market for eco-friendly homeware.

MORE: 12 cool DIY home improvement projects

Before getting rid of any old furniture, you might find it’s worth giving it a lick of chalk paint. Good-looking upcycled furniture is very popular on online marketplaces, especially if you’re able to retain its original character.

Furniture can be a nightmare to try to squeeze into a car, so don’t pass up the opportunity if you think you might find someone willing to come and pick it up for you and pay you for the pleasure.

Queue up at the local recycling centre

Since COVID hit, recycling centres have had to implement stricter rules at sites, including the requirement to book an appointment before you go (if you need to make several trips, you’ll need to book every time you go).

On top of that, peak times might see you having to queue around the block to get in, which isn’t practical if you have a young family to take care of, or simply far more important things to be doing.

On the positive side, it’s completely free to dump waste at a recycling centre (proving it meets the local authority’s criteria) and a great option if you only have one or two large items to throw away.

But for bulk loads of waste, the hassle involved in managing it all yourself can be a real headache and often consumes several weekend afternoons running back and forth to the tip.

Hire a skip at an unbeatable price

For a great service at an unbeatable price, SunSkips offers an affordable solution to bulk waste disposal in Cambridgeshire and Suffolk.

Once you’ve booked your skip, all you have to do is throw your waste into the container and we’ll take care of the rest. We’ll even apply for a skip permit for you if you intend to keep it outside on a public road.

There’s no need to separate your waste either; our team will hand-pick and mechanically screen your waste using flip flow screens, overhead magnets and air classifiers to make sure nothing that can be recycled ends up in environmentally unfriendly landfills.

However, there are other ways you can save even more money on your skip hire:

• If you’ve got a lot of bulky waste like furniture, you can save money on your skip hire by breaking it down so it all fits inside a smaller container (especially easy if it’s the IKEA flat-pack kind).
• Do you have a neighbour that might fancy going halves with you on a skip? If you’re likely to be preparing your gardens for the summer at around the same time, save money by hiring a skip together.
• Try to do the garage, attic, shed and spare room clear-out at the same time. It’ll be cheaper to hire an eight-yard skip for all your waste than it will be to hire several smaller ones.
• While SunSkips is able to separate all your waste onsite, some materials like soil are harder to screen than others as they’re easily contaminated when mixed. Call SunSkips and find out what kind of discount you could get by separating your soil before we collect your skip.
• Don’t be tempted to use a cheap, unlicensed rubbish removal service. They may dump your waste illegally and you might find yourself with an eye-watering fine like this local couple.

Clearing out your rubbish doesn’t need to cost the Earth, both in terms of the financial investment and its impact on the environment. For an unbeatable price on a skip from an environmentally conscious waste management firm, book online with SunSkips today!