Skip Price Guide
Skip price guide
Skip price: How much should it cost to hire a skip in 2022? The cost of hiring a skip varies widely depending on your location within the UK as well as other factors. Hiring a skip is likely to cost 50% - 150% more than using a man & van waste contractor to remove the waste because it has a higher logistical cost.
This blog looks at the factors that dictate the price of skip hire.
- Skip price
- Council skip hire permits
- How to save money on skips
Useful background:
Skip price
Skip hire prices vary, and to calculate, you will need to look at all the factors below that affect the cost of skip hire.
a. Location of skip
Your location will affect the skip hire price. Below is a table of all the major cities in alphabetical order in the UK and the average price of skip by size.
Table of average skip price by UK city incl VAT
| Location | 4 Yards Skip | 6 Yards 'Builders’ Skip | 8 Yards Skip | 12 Yards Skip |
| Birmingham | £185 | £228 | £240 | £310 |
| Bristol | £210 | £250 | £278 | £370 |
| Edinburgh | £218 | £245 | £265 | £335 |
| Essex | £190 | £253 | £280 | £345 |
| Exeter | £325 | £270 | £350 | £450 |
| Glasgow | £235 | £245 | £265 | £330 |
| Leeds | £205 | £215 | £235 | £425 |
| Liverpool | £200 | £210 | £255 | £425 |
| London | £240 | £265 | £283 | £450 |
| Luton | £212 | £273 | £307 | £455 |
| Manchester | £198 | £269 | £245 | £375 |
| Newcastle | £256 | £260 | £280 | £331 |
| Nottingham | £170 | £210 | £255 | £355 |
| Southampton | £217 | £280 | £321 | £428 |
Source: LoveJunk January 2022
b. Skip hire duration
The duration of time that you need the skip will affect the skip price. The typical length of skip hire is between 7 and 14 days. You can hire a skip for longer but this may result in an additional charge.
c. Size of skip
Skips come in the following sizes: 2 Yards, 4 Yards, 6 Yards, 8 Yards and 12 Yards. Larger skips are more costly and hold a lot more weight.
Table of average skip price by skip size
| Skip size | Average cost excluding VAT |
| 2 Yards | Prices from £80 |
| 4 Yards | Prices from £120 |
| 6 Yards | Prices from £150 |
| 8 Yards | Prices from £180 |
| 12 Yards | Prices from £250 |
d. Waste type
What kind of waste type you are using the skip for will determine the skip price. Heavier, bulkier messy waste may require more room and therefore a larger skip hire.
2. Council skip hire permits
You'll need permission from the council to place the skip on council land, and to get this permission, you need to pay a fee. Skip permit prices vary throughout the UK, but the average cost is £25 for 14 days. Contact your local council for an exact price. Below is a table for the average skip permit fees for councils in major cities within the UK.
Average skip permit fees UK
| Region | Charge |
| Birmingham skip permit | £20 |
| Bristol skip permit | £64 |
| Edinburgh skip permit | £29 |
| Essex skip permit | £20 |
| Exeter skip permit | £45 |
| Leeds skip permit | £20 |
| Liverpool skip permit | £10 |
| London skip permit (average) | £68 |
| Luton skip permit | £55 |
| Manchester skip permit | £20 |
| Newcastle skip permit | £20 |
| Nottingham skip permit | £15 |
| Southampton skip permit | £15 |
3. How to save money on skips
There are many ways in which you can save on skip price. Here are the top two:
1. Be sure to hire the right sized skip. Hiring a skip that's too small will mean overloading the skip and hiring a skip that's too large will mean you have paid for large a skip that you are not making full use of.
2. Ensure that you know what is prohibited and accepted in a skip before hiring one. Please read our ultimate skip guide for a detailed look into what you can and cannot place in a skip.
Skip hire alternatives
If you have bulky waste you need to dispose of, and you don't want to hire a skip, you have three options:
1) Use a Hippobag then pay a local man & van rubbish clearance company to collect and empty it. If you are looking for a Hippo bag and would like to see what Hippo bag discount codes are available out there, see our complete guide hippo bag collection.
2) Depending on the size and weight of the bulky waste you need to get rid of, you could take a trip to your local household waste recycling centre.
3) Use LoveJunk to find your cheapest (and closest!) available waste collector. Many councils recommend us.
Recent bulky waste collections
Please find below are recent collections carried out via the LoveJunk marketplace.
To find a great value licenced collector today – visit LoveJunk.
Tiles, Plasterboard, Wood, £175
Builders waste & kitchen units for collection, £250
40-50 bags of rubble and soil, £160
