Why You Shouldn’t Overload a Skip

Don’t risk overfilling a skip. Even though it can seem harmless to do so, the consequences can be serious. Read on to discover why you shouldn’t overload a skip and how to safely load it in the first place. 

The Risks of Overloading a Skip

Skip hire is a fantastic way to dispose of large quantities of waste without the hassle of making several trips to the tip. However, if your project produces more rubbish than you expected, you might be tempted to throw as much of it as possible into the skip, exceeding that all-important fill line. Keep reading to learn why you shouldn’t overload a skip.

Legal Issues

Many people don’t realise that it’s actually illegal to overfill a skip above its maximum load level. If you’re caught doing so, you could be hit with a steep fine. What’s more is that if someone is injured by a falling object, you could face even more serious legal action. Since it’s against the law to fill a skip, the company you’ve hired it from simply won’t accept it. If they do, they could be fined themselves, damaging not just their finances but their reputation too.   

Safety 

Overloading a skip isn’t just illegal; it’s also incredibly unsafe. If there are sharp or broken pieces of rubbish sticking out of the top, they could cause injury, putting you, passersby or the skip hire team at risk. Items can fall out of an overloaded skip too, potentially landing on someone or rolling into the street. Debris flying out of a skip and landing on the road or hitting another vehicle can lead to serious traffic accidents occurring. 

Cost 

One of the biggest reasons why you shouldn’t overload a skip is the cost. You might be tempted to overfill a skip if you want to save money. Piling as much rubbish as you can into it can seem like a cost-effective move. However, this can end up costing you more in the long run. The skip hire company may refuse to take the skip not just because doing so is illegal but because it may exceed weight restrictions and risk damaging the lorry. This means you’ll need to pay extra to have the rubbish removed. It’s better to pay a little more for a larger skip in the first place. We offer cheap skips in Rotherham so we always recommend getting the correct size for your job every time. 

Neighbours 

Since an overloaded skip can be a major eyesore, you risk falling foul of your neighbours. They won’t want to deal with an unsightly, overfull skip on their road and relations with them could turn sour as a result. If your skip is placed on your street, make sure you fill it only to the designated fill line. This will prevent rubbish from overflowing onto the road and ruining the appearance of the road. 

How to Fill a Skip 

You might assume that filling a skip simply requires you to throw rubbish into it. However, the process needs much more consideration. To fill a skill efficiently, you need to place the items you want to dispose of into the optimum position in order to use all the available space. Keep reading to find out how to fill a skip. 

Know the Limit

When loading a skip, you need to be careful not to overfill it. This means not filling it higher than its sides. On many skips, there’s a red ‘fill line’ to show how high you’re allowed to fill it, and you need to stick to this. Don’t assume you’ll get away with putting just a bit too much rubbish in your skip. Even if it’s only slightly overloaded, the skip hire company is still within their rights not to take it away, and you can expect to face extra costs as a result.  

Choose the Right Size Skip

Filling a skip is so much easier if you’ve chosen the right size in the first place. If you choose a skip that’s too small for your needs, the chances of you overfilling it are much higher. You need to be realistic about how much rubbish your project will generate. Even if you’re not sure, it makes sense to opt for a larger skip in order to avoid overloading it. You might assume that opting for a small skip will save you money, but this is unlikely to be the case since overfilling it will mean you incur extra costs to dispose of the excess waste. Talk to your skip hire team for advice on choosing the right size of skip for your domestic or commercial project. 

Organisation is Key 

Loading waste into the skip in an organised manner can ensure that you use as much of the available space as possible. We recommend placing the smaller, flatter items into the skip first. This could include flattened-down cardboard boxes, plywood, or cabinet doors. You can then move on to larger items such as furniture, loading it carefully on top. Next, break up other dismantlable waste, spreading them across the top in order to fill in any spare spaces.

Plan Ahead 

Planning ahead is vital when using a skip to dispose of large amounts of waste. By making a pile of the rubbish you want to get rid of before ordering the skip, you can get an idea of what size you’ll need. Making several organised piles next to the skip will also make it easier to fill it with more care, allowing you to maximise the space effectively. This will also allow you to fill the skip more quickly, reducing the risk of fly tipping occurring. 

If you are looking for skip hire in Rotherham, look no further than Beta Skips, the area’s leading skip hire firm.