How does skip hire work?: The complete 10-step process

At SunSkips, we’re proud of how simple we’ve made the skip hire process for our clients across Suffolk and Cambridgeshire.

After a very straightforward online booking process, all you need to worry about is filling up your container before the waste is collected by one of our friendly drivers.

But if you prefer to know the ins and outs of how these things work, there’s actually quite a lot happening behind the scenes…

Here’s SunSkips’ complete skip hire process from start to finish, from skip sizing all the way down to where your waste ends up.

Step one: Working out the skip size

SunSkips’ handy skip size guide is the best place to start as it breaks down which skip size is best suited for different types of projects.

We encourage our clients to measure twice and book once when booking a skip. It’s more cost-effective to hire one skip than booking a container that’s too small and paying more for an extra one.

IMPORTANT: Skips bigger than eight yards (often referred to as builders’ skips) aren’t suitable for all kinds of waste. New clients who aren’t 100% sure of the best solution for their needs should call our friendly customer service team to clear up any doubts.

Step two: Booking the skip

Now the client has a good idea of what size skip is most appropriate for their waste management, they can go ahead and book.

SunSkips clients can book a skip online in just a few taps and let us know of any additional requirements, such as permits, in the simple form.

MORE: Skip hire permits: Why you need one and how to avoid the paperwork

If you prefer to book over the phone because you’ve got a few questions you couldn’t find an answer to on our website (or you just prefer to talk to a human being), that’s fine too.

MORE: Skip hire basics: what you need to know before you hire a skip

Step three: The delivery goes into system

SunSkips uses sophisticated software to plan out skip deliveries across Suffolk and Cambridgeshire in the most efficient way possible.

We’ll also log any special requirements the client made during booking, such as the removal of items like fridges and televisions that are harder to dispose of.

The collection date, permit requirements and any useful advice about difficult access for our drivers are all entered into the system to make sure there are no issues on delivery day.

Step four: Delivery day

At SunSkips, we are very proud of our highly trained drivers. They are often required to drop off skips in narrow alleys or slide one into a barn, testing their HGV driving skills to the limit.

SunSkips drivers will make every effort to position your skip where it’s most convenient to work with (with the drop-down door facing the garage, for example).

MORE: How to prepare for your skip hire delivery and collection

Step five: Filling the skip

Once the skip is in place, the client can go ahead and fill up their containers with waste.

Most household and garden waste is suitable for our skips, but there are some things that can’t go in there, so it’s important to review the list of things you can’t put in a skip before you hire.

NOTE: SunSkips drivers can’t help clients fill their skip, so if you do think you’re going to need assistance, we recommend organising an extra pair of hands ahead of your delivery.

Step six: Collection day

When your seven-day skip hire period has come to an end, your skip will be collected from your premises.

If you haven’t finished filling your skip, you can call the office to arrange an extension of your skip hire period.

WARNING: The maximum fill height indicator is there for a good reason. SunSkips’ drivers can’t legally collect your skip if your waste is piled up higher than the line.

Step seven: Back to the site

After collection, your waste is taken back to one of SunSkips’ three skip hire sites in Cambridge, Stowmarket and Haverhill.

SunSkips is strategically growing across East Anglia to reduce the distance our fuel-efficient lorries need to travel to serve the region.

Once the skips are offloaded, the recycling process can begin…

Step eight: Sorting through the waste

Once the skip arrives at the site, it goes through several stages of sorting before it can be sent for recycling.

First, the largest pieces of waste are picked out by hand (these are going to be pretty obvious things like doors, pieces of furniture, big pieces of wood…)

The waste then goes onto the conveyor belt and through the flip flow screen, which refines pieces of waste smaller than 10mm (known as “fines”) into a container below. The rest goes under an overband magnetic separator to pull out small metallic objects like screws and nails.

Next, it all goes through an air classifier to get the lighter waste like paper and soft plastics out, which can be sent off to be made into fuel.

The picking station (pictured) is the next stage in the process, where the waste is hand sorted again to make sure anything recyclable doesn’t slip through the net.

Finally, the fines are passed through a loss-on-ignition test to determine how much organic matter is in the waste that can be cleaned and reused as soil.

MORE: How SunSkips’ recycling screening line works

Step nine: Waste is sent for processing

Once the waste has gone through SunSkips’ stringent screening line, it’s ready to be sent off for processing.

Some things are further processed on site, such as wood that goes through our shredder to compact it down so it can more easily be recycled.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by SunSkips (@sunskips_skiphire)

SunSkips is especially proud of the company’s facilities for sorting waste that can be used for SRF fuel, a more environmentally friendly alternative to fossil fuels.

Step 10: Waste is reintroduced into ecosystem

If you’ve ever hired a skip from SunSkips, you may have reencountered some of the very same waste you put in your container in new packaging and products.

For example, wood chippings are sent to be used for animal bedding, while paper is sent to be pulped for reuse.

SunSkips has domestic buyers for cardboard, wood and metal recycling, so clients can rest assured that they’re contributing to a circular economy.

SunSkips is passionate about good quality waste management and welcomes any question clients might have about how we manage their waste.