Everything you need to know about ro-ro skips

SunSkips provides a wide range of skips, some of which are so big they need a special lorry to drop them off and collect them.

Ro-ro skips are designed to carry large volumes of heavy waste and they work a little differently to traditional containers, such as the 8-yard builders’ skip.

But what exactly is a ro-ro? What kinds of waste management projects are they used for? And how much does it cost to hire one?

Here’s everything you need to know about ro-ro skips…

What is a ro-ro skip?

A roll-on/roll-off (ro-ro) skip is a container that can be easily rolled on and off (hence the name) a flatbed lorry, rather than lifted with a crane. Due to its size and weight, rolling a ro-ro is the only safe way to get it on and off the vehicle.

SunSkips offers two sizes of ro-ro skips: the 20-yard and 40-yard.

A 20-yard ro-ro is 6.1 metres long by 2.4 metres wide and 1.2 metres tall. It can hold around 200 black bags of waste or 26 standard trailers.

A 40-yard ro-ro measures 6.3 metres long by 2.4 metres wide, but is significantly taller than the 20-yard skip at 2.75 metres. You can fit 400 black bags of rubbish or 52 standard trailers’ worth in a 40-yard ro-ro.

MORE: What’s the biggest skip you can hire?

What is a ro-ro skip used for?

Ro-ro skips are typically used in commercial, construction or industrial projects and are usually kept onsite until they’ve reached capacity.

Skips of this size are rarely hired for domestic use, but they might be suitable for large-scale waste removal projects such as a complete property clearout, demolition of a small structure, or high volumes of garden waste.

SunSkips hires out ro-ro skips for all kinds of waste management projects across Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Essex. For example, SunSkips recently took away 1st Haverhill Beavers, Cubs & Scouts’ demolished hut in a ro-ro to make way for a new one.

SunSkips also donated a 40-yard ro-ro to collect Christmas trees from all over Suffolk to recycle and help raise funds for Suffolk Accident and Rescue Service (pictured above).

Why choose a ro-ro skip?

For some projects, the decision to hire a ro-ro over several smaller skips depends largely on your individual situation.

If there’s no need for the waste to be removed from the site frequently, keeping it onsite in a 20- or 40-yard skip can streamline your waste management processes and keep your site tidier.

Ro-ros are a wise option for minimising hazards on a busy construction or industrial site because there will always be a place for waste and no waiting around for traditional skips to be swapped.

Large volumes of waste can cause project delays due to having to wait around for its clearance, but one or several ro-ros onsite make waste management simple.

Regularly bringing 8-yard skips (also known as a builders’ skip) in and out of your site can be quite inefficient when you factor in the fuel and labour costs. It’s also just cheaper to hire one big container than several smaller ones.

Then there’s the environmental impact that comes with transporting multiple smaller skips. SunSkips is a sustainable skip hire company, so our team is always happy to work with you to find the most environmentally friendly option for your waste management.

MORE: Why you should care about SunSkips’ commitment to sustainable waste management

Depending on what waste types you’re getting rid of, a ro-ro skip might be the best option for large pieces like beds or doors that can be trickier to fit efficiently into a traditional skip.

However, if there’s not much space for a ro-ro onsite, arranging for regular 8-yard skip swaps might make more sense (SunSkips can work out a fluid swap process for smaller skips if need be).

What waste types are suitable for a ro-ro skip?

While an 8-yard skip is the largest standard container that accepts all types of general waste (10-, 12- and 14-yard skips are only suitable for lighter, bulkier waste), ro-ros can take all kinds of waste due to the way they’re loaded and unloaded from lorries.

This means that you can load a ro-ro skip with:

• General domestic and commercial waste
• Furniture (non-upholstered)
• Hardcode (rubble, brick, concrete)
• Soil
• Sand
• Green waste
• Paper and cardboard
• Tiles
• Glass
• Metal
• Wood
• Plastic
• Carpet
• Clothing

MORE: What can’t you put in a skip?: A UK skip hire guide

While SunSkips might be able to offer better value skip hire for single-stream waste, mixed waste is perfectly acceptable as it’ll all go through the stringent screening lines at our sites in Cambridge, Stowmarket, Haverhill and Ipswich.

Worried about the weight of the skip? Even though a ro-ro filled with construction waste is very heavy, its special design means it can still roll onto one of our lorries and be taken off the recycling site with relative ease.

How much does it cost to hire a ro-ro skip?

The cost to hire a ro-ro depends on a number of factors, including the location, hire period, size, and collection schedule.

For the best possible quote, it’s best to talk to someone on our team so you can make sure you’re getting the best value for your specific situation.

Ro-ro skip requirements

Before ordering a ro-ro, it’s important to make sure that your site has sufficient space and suitable ground for it to be placed, being sure that the container won’t block any emergency exits or pose any kind of risk to health and safety.

MORE: Skip hire safety: Tips for avoiding danger when hiring a skip

There must also be ample access for the vehicle to deliver and collect the container, because the lorry will need to back up in front of it in order to roll it on and off.

Because they are much larger than traditional skips, ro-ros have the potential to cause traffic obstructions, so it’s unlikely that a local authority will grant a skip permit to keep a ro-ro on a public highway.

Still got questions about hiring a ro-ro skip? Give SunSkips’ friendly team a call to discuss how a ro-ro could save you time and money with your waste management.