FAQs for Skip Hire

At Coventry Skips we know that many people who visit us are ordering and hiring a skip for the first time, so we’ve put together a simple set of Frequently Asked Questions that we think will help you with both ordering and using a skip.

A skip will NOT come with a drop door unless requested at the time of placing an order. By using the comments field during the ordering process you can tell us if you require a drop door.

Note: A drop door is very useful for accessing the skip with a wheelbarrow. This allows easy access for barrowing waste such as soil, rubble, hardcore or bricks. The biggest skip that we can supply with a drop door is an 8 Yard skip.

**Due to limited availability, we cannot guarantee a skip with a drop door, even if requested at the time of ordering.**

A Skip placed OFF-ROAD is situated either on private land or a driveway.

A Skip placed ON-ROAD will be on public land such as footpaths and highways. In this situation a Road Permit will be required, usually at an extra cost.

As long as you can ensure that there is clear access to the driveway or private land where the skip is to be placed or collected from then there is no need for someone to be present.

It usually takes between 1 to 5 working days to collect your skip from when your collection request is placed with us. This can include prebooked collection dates too although we do try our utmost to collect on the pre-booked date. However we cannot guarantee a collection on this date.

During very periods, it can take 7 or 10 working days to collect your skip. If you have pre-booked your skip collection we will endeavour to collect it as per the collection date on your order, however we cannot 100% guarantee a collection on this date.

Please note : If we arrive to collect a skip on a prebooked date but you have not finished with the skip and would like to continue to use the skip, you may incur a wasted journey charge.

YOU MUST LET US KNOW AT LEAST 24 HOURS BEFORE YOUR PREBOOKED COLLECTION DATE IF YOU STILL REQUIRE THE USE OF THE SKIP BEYOND THIS DATE.

For heavy materials such as: soil, clay, hardcore, concrete and bricks etc. The largest skip we can supply is an 8 Yard Skip. In some cases depending upon vehicle availability a 6 Yard is the biggest skip we can supply for heavy / dense waste.

Please contact our team on 0330 113 2775 for more information.

Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee or specify a particular time for delivery. Unforseen circumstances such as heavy traffic and roadworks, vehicle maintenance issues or general delays means that we cannot guarantee a particular time for delivery.

However, should you wish to specify an AM or PM delivery, please leave your comments in the ‘comments’ section at the time or ordering. Again, we will try our upmost to deliver within a selected period however as above unforeseen delays can affect our delivery service.

Please note that AM deliveries can be between 7:30am and 12pm and PM deliveries thereafter up until 5pm.

Collections are carried out from 7am to 5:30pm. In extremely busy periods, it may take up to 7 working days for us to collect the skip from the chosen collection date. At other times we aim to collect it on the chosen collection date or within 2-3 working days.

If you would like to speak to a member of our team, please contact us on 0330 113 2775 for more information.

A wasted Journey fee is a charge we may apply if upon arriving at your address we are unable to deliver or collect the skip. The charge covers the time and fuel costs for our vehicle and driver.

There are many reasons why we may not be able to complete a delivery of a skip to you and thus charge a wasted journey fee including:

  • Access to the driveway / private land is too narrow (we need around 10.5 to 11ft width)
  • There is overhanging branches or a height restriction.
  • Access to the driveway / private land is blocked with a immovable object or access restricted due to locked gates.
  • The driveway / private land is too small causing the skip to overhang a public road or pavement.
  • …..and other possible reasons.

The Waste Journey Fee can apply to collections also :

  • Skip not ready for collection. You may not have finished with the skip on the pre-agreed date when placing your order.
  • Access to the driveway / private land is blocked with a immovable object or behind locked gates.
  • The Skip is Overloaded / Too full. We can only remove skips that are sensibly loaded or stacked. We ask our customers to Level Load a skips. – See our FAQs ‘How full can I load a skip?’ section for more information.
  • …..and other possible reasons.

Should you order and pay for a skip and then realise that there may not be sufficient access for a skip, Call a member of our team 0330 113 2775 at least 24 Hours before delivery and we will cancel the order and give you a full refund. However if we arrive with a skip on the day of delivery and cannot deliver the skip then a Wasted Journey Fee may be applied.

Please make sure that there is clear access to your driveway or private land so that we can deliver and collect your skip.

We need around 10.5ft (325cm) of width to allow our skip lorries to deliver a skip on your driveway. Our vehicles also need room to turn, allowing our drivers to backup the lorry onto your driveway or other private land.

If a skip is ordered and our drivers find that there is not sufficent space to place the skip, then a wasted journey charge may be applied.

The type of waste you are looking to dispose of will affect the size of skip that you should select. Materials such as brick, rubble, soil or hardcore are classed as heavy weight and as a general rule skips larger than 8 yards are NOT suitable as when filled the lorries cannot lift them.

For lighter waste types such as metal, wood and cardboard. Any skips size is suitable. Our skips can be used for all sorts of projects from home renovation works to garden and home clearances.

For more information please visit our homepage to view the Skip Sizes.

Whenever a skip is to be placed on a public highway including footpath berms, and the highway and council land. Most local councils will require a road permit to be issued. Permits can be arranged for a maximum of 28 days and at extra cost. In most cases our suppliers will be able to arrange a permit for you. In some areas, local councils require that the hirer (you) applies for the road permit before the undertaing of a skip booking. We will advise you during the booking process of these requirements.

Please do not leave any order related message / messages with our drivers. They are not expected to pass messages on regarding your order nor are they expected to know the details of your skip hire order or agreement.

Should you wish to change or query any aspect of your order then please contact us directly on 0330 1130 700.

You will be held responsible for any issues arising from a scenario where you as the customer informed our driver of a change to your order details or have expected the driver to be aware of your skip hire order details.

For example, should we arrive to collect your skip as per the collection date set out on your skip hire order, but you are not finished with the skip and you informed our driver at the time of delivery that you may require the skip longer and failed to inform us direct, Then a Wasted Journey Fee will apply.

 

We ask our customers to ‘Level Load’ the skip.

When filling the skip, please make sure that the waste is contained within the frame of the skip. Should any of your waste be stacked higher than the top edge of the skip or hanging over the sides, our driver may deem the skip unsafe to transport. Should this be the case then a Wasted Journey Fee will apply.

We ask our customers NOT to use or place boards up the sides or the ends of the skip to increase the capacity of the skip as this makes the skip very unsafe and potentially dangerous to transport.

We do ask that our customers work within the frame of the skip and fill the skip to the top of the skip. If we are unable to collect a skip because it is over full, there may be a wasted journey charge and you will be asked to remove waste from the skip to make the skip level and safe to transport.

Any protective coverings for your driveway are to be supplied by you, the customer.

Our drivers do not carry any protective equipment for your driveway or surfaces.

Items such as wood batons or beams, thick wooden planks, carpet, tarpaulin or any other protective coverings can be used to protect your driveway or surfaces.

Please inform us that you intend the skip to be placed on such a covering so our driver can be made aware.

You may also wish to place the coverings on the driveway or surface to indicate where the skip is to be placed.

**Please note that it is not essential to use a protective cover for your driveway or surface, however we do recommend to use a protective covering should you wish to decrease the chances of damage or markings left by the skip when in use on your property.