Can I Put Garden Waste in a Skip?
Can I Put Garden Waste in a Skip?
If you’re tackling a garden makeover, the question ‘can I put garden waste in a skip?’ will likely be on your mind.
The answer is yes, you can put garden waste in a skip.
In fact, hiring a skip is one of the easiest and most convenient ways to dispose of large amounts of garden waste, saving space in your garden bin and preventing countless trips to the local tip.
At Greenbox Recycling, we supply garden waste skips for customers across Kent, which are ideal for homeowners and landscapers carrying out everything from routine garden maintenance to major renovations.
With three generations of waste industry experience, Greenbox Recycling provides licensed skip hire and waste management services across Kent. As a CIWM Affiliated Organisation with its own recycling facility, our team advises customers every day on the correct, safe and compliant disposal of household and garden waste. This practical experience helps ensure your waste is managed responsibly from collection through to recycling.
In this article, we’ll provide you with everything you need to know about garden waste skips.
What is garden waste?
Garden waste includes all natural materials that come from your outdoor space. These biodegradable materials can easily be recycled after they have been disposed of.
The most common types of garden waste include:
- Grass cuttings
- Leaves
- Hedge trimmings
- Tree branches
- Twigs
- Bark and wood chippings
- Weeds
- Plants and flowers
- Shrubs
- Soil
- Turf
- Moss
- Prunings
If you’re carrying out a larger landscaping project, you may also have materials such as old fencing, paving stones or broken garden furniture. While not classed as garden waste, they can usually be placed into a standard mixed waste skip alongside your garden waste.
Expert Tip: Freshly cut grass, hedge trimmings and soil can become surprisingly heavy, particularly after rainfall. If you’re expecting to dispose of large quantities of these materials, choosing the next skip size up can often be more practical than risking an overloaded skip.
What can’t you put in a garden waste skip?
While most natural garden materials are perfectly acceptable, there are certain items that should never be placed in a garden waste skip.
If you have hired a standard skip, in most cases, you can mix your garden waste with many other types of household waste, including construction waste. This makes it a convenient option for wider clearance projects.
However, if your skip hire company has supplied you with a dedicated garden waste skip, it should only include garden waste. Mixing it with other materials may lead to extra charges and make it harder for the waste to be properly recycled.
Furthermore, there are several items that must never be placed in any skip.
These include:
- Hazardous chemicals
- Pesticides
- Paint
- Oil
- Fuel
- Asbestos
- Gas cylinders
- Fluorescent tubes
- Electrical items
These materials require specialist disposal because they can contaminate recyclable waste, present health and safety risks, or are covered by specific environmental legislation. Electrical items, for example, should be recycled through dedicated WEEE collection schemes, while asbestos must always be handled by licensed specialists.
You should also take care not to overload your skip. Waste must never exceed the top edge of the skip, as overloaded skips cannot be transported safely. Large branches or tree trunks may need to be cut down into manageable sizes to avoid this.
If you’re unsure whether an item is suitable, you should always check with your skip hire company first.
What size skip do I need for my garden waste?
Choosing the right skip size is important, and it depends on how much garden waste you expect to generate.
The most common choices include:
- 4-yard skip: Ideal for smaller gardening jobs like hedge trimming, pruning, shrubs and seasonal maintenance. It holds approximately 60 bags of waste.
- 6-yard skip: One of the most popular skip sizes for homeowners. This skip is well suited to medium-sized projects like removing small trees, replacing turf or clearing overgrown gardens.
- 8-yard skip: Ideal for complete garden renovations, installing patios or replacing fencing. It can hold approximately 120 bin bags of waste.
- 12-yard skip: Suitable for larger landscaping projects and contractors, with capacity for around 180 bags of waste.
If you’re unsure which size is right for your project, Greenbox Recycling can recommend the most suitable skip based on the type of waste you’re disposing of, the amount of material involved and the available space at your property.
Benefits of a garden waste skip
Hiring a skip offers a wide range of benefits, including:
- Saves time by allowing you to complete your garden project without making repeated trips to the recycling centre.
- More convenient, keeping all waste in one place until collection.
- Handles large volumes of waste from landscaping and renovation projects.
- Often more cost-effective than using your own vehicle for multiple journeys.
- Creates a safer working environment by reducing piles of waste around your garden.
- Environmentally responsible.
At Greenbox Recycling, approximately 90% of all waste collected is recycled through our own recycling facility. The remaining waste is diverted from landfill and processed through licensed energy recovery facilities, ensuring your waste is managed as sustainably as possible.
Choose Greenbox Recycling for garden waste skip hire in Kent
At Greenbox Recycling, we make hiring a garden waste skip easy.
Whether you’re clearing a small garden or managing a large landscaping project, we supply skips in a range of sizes to suit your needs.
With three generations of industry experience, fully licensed waste management services, CIWM Affiliated Organisation status, and a commitment to recycling around 90% of the waste we collect, Greenbox Recycling is trusted by homeowners, businesses and contractors across Kent to deliver reliable, compliant and environmentally responsible skip hire.
Get in touch with our team today to discuss your project, receive expert advice on the right skip size, or arrange fast skip delivery anywhere across Kent.