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Skip Hire vs Man With Van

Half an image with a full skip and half with a fully stacked van with a cage around it
Author: Samuel Beckingham
Updated: Nov 29, 2023
4 minutes read

When it comes to removing waste from your home, you always have several options available to you. If you have plenty of time on your hands and don’t mind a bit of manual labour, you can take multiple trips to the household waste recycling centre. Alternatively, you can hire a skip or use a man with a van. Depending on your situation, any of these could be ideal for you.

DIY Removal

With a self-serve job, you have to think about the logistics. Home renovations or big clearouts can take several days or weeks to complete, with every car full of waste taking time, space and effort to take to the recycling centre. Far removed from the tips of old, recycling centres sort waste into different components that can be reused or recycled, to simply prevent as much going into landfill as possible.

Not all vehicles will be able to fit all types of waste in them, and there are some items, like rubble, scrap metal and garden waste, that you may not want in your car at all. Mess is easy to create, so you can then end up having to spend time cleaning your vehicle afterwards. You can only do that once all trips have been completed. Heavy items can cause injury if you’re not lifting properly, or with help.

In terms of costs you’d see, this will be for specific waste that you’re bringing to the recycling centre, as some items are charged for. Some councils require you to reserve a time slot to visit, which prevents a number of trips across the day.

Man With Van

A professional who will take your waste away, the man with a van option is incredibly useful if you don’t have the means to transport your waste, or if you need help loading it in the first place. Costs incurred are usually in relation to how much waste you need to be removed, and how far they need to travel.

If you don’t have much waste, lack the means to transport it, and also require help to lift any objects, the man with van option could be perfect.

Skip Hire

Delivered by a professional company, and taken away again once it’s full, hiring a skip can be incredibly efficient. Prices are set based on the fixed size of the skip, which can range from 2 yards to 12 yards (although bigger skips exist). Despite the fact that you need to load them yourself, the waste is taken away and as much of it as possible is recycled.

For larger items, skip hire can be perfect. Just like with renovations and home clearouts, the different sizes are designed to work across a wide variety of home jobs. Using them is straightforward and incredibly efficient. If you’re finished early, the company can remove the skip at no extra charge.

With skip hire, the process is much more efficient on your use of time as well, as you only have to move the waste from indoors to outdoors. There’s no extra effort needed to transport it afterwards as this is all done on your behalf. Even if you can’t pick up heavy objects, neighbours should be more than willing to lend a hand.

Find out how much a skip would cost in your area by clicking on the button below. You’ll receive tailored quotes from local suppliers.