Same-day truck & skip hire — Gordon's Bay · Strand · Somerset West · HelderbergSame-day skip hire  ·  WhatsApp 082 887 0807
HomeSkip HireRubble RemovalTruck HirePricesAreasCall 082 887 0807
Home/Guides/What Can & Can't Go In A Skip
★ Free guide

What Can & Can't Go In A Skip

Three clean loads that tip straight through, one fee that's entirely avoidable, and a short banned list. Here's the whole thing in plain language.

5.0 ★Google rating
5+ yearsOn Helderberg roads
Same-dayUsually available
Sorted clean rubble load in a skip ready for tipping at a licensed facility

The quick version

Three clean loads, one fee, and a short banned list

Skip rules sound complicated and really are not. There are three loads that tip straight through with no extra charge, a fee that applies when things get mixed, and a short list of things that cannot go in at all. That's it.

✓

Goes in, clean, no fee

Concrete, brick, block, plaster, screed, sand and soil · prunings, grass, hedge cuttings, palm fronds, branches, stumps · cardboard and paper · timber offcuts · furniture and general household bulk · scrap metal · old appliances.

R

Goes in, R375 sorting fee

Any mixed load — rubble plus garden plus household together · anything containing ceramic or porcelain tiles, even in an otherwise clean rubble load. The fee covers the load being unpacked and separated by hand at the landfill.

✖

Cannot go in

Building glass · household kitchen and food waste · medical waste · hazardous waste — asbestos, paint tins, solvents, chemicals, batteries, gas cylinders. We work with a certified hazardous-waste contractor for these.

Why "clean" is the word that matters

A skip is not really a container — it is a ticket to a disposal gate. Clean rubble goes to one facility. Green waste goes to composting. Cardboard goes to recycling. Each of those is a single movement at a single gate.

The moment a load contains two or three of those mixed together, it cannot be tipped anywhere as-is. Someone has to physically pull it apart by hand before it is accepted. That is what the R375 sorting fee pays for — it is a labour cost, not a penalty, and it is entirely avoidable by separating as you fill.

The tile exception catches people out

Ceramic and porcelain tiles trigger the sorting fee even when everything else in the load is clean rubble. It feels counter-intuitive — tiles look like rubble — but the landfill treats them differently and they have to come out.

The practical fix takes ten minutes: during a bathroom or kitchen strip-out, put tiles into their own rubble bags as they come off the wall. The rest of the load stays clean, the tiles are quoted honestly, and nobody is surprised.

The banned list, explained

Building glass

Large panes and sheet glass are a handling hazard once a load is tipped and compacted. Ordinary household glass in with general waste is a different matter — it is sheet and building glass that is the problem.

Household kitchen and food waste

Organic food waste in a skip attracts vermin, smells within a day in Helderberg summer heat, and contaminates an otherwise recyclable load. Keep it in your municipal bin where it belongs.

Asbestos

Old roof sheeting, ceiling boards and pipe lagging in properties of a certain age may well contain asbestos. It requires specific handling and licensed disposal, and it is genuinely not worth the risk to anyone involved. If you suspect it, say so — we will arrange a quote through a certified contractor rather than quietly loading it.

Paint, chemicals, batteries and gas cylinders

All hazardous. Paint tins leach, gas cylinders are a real danger once a load is compacted, and batteries contaminate everything around them. These need a hazardous-waste route, which we can arrange.

Medical waste

Sharps, dressings and clinical waste follow a strictly regulated disposal chain and cannot enter a general load under any circumstances.

Not sure about something?

Ask before you load it, not after. A thirty-second WhatsApp with a photo settles it, and it is far cheaper than a load being turned away at the gate. Cliff has seen most things by now.

FAQ

Questions we get every week

What can I put in a skip?
Clean building rubble (concrete, brick, plaster, screed, sand, soil), clean garden refuse (prunings, grass, palm fronds, branches, stumps), cardboard and paper, timber, furniture, general household bulk, scrap metal and old appliances all go in with no extra charge, as long as the load stays unmixed.
What can't go in a skip?
Building glass, household kitchen and food waste, medical waste, and hazardous waste including asbestos, paint tins, solvents, chemicals, batteries and gas cylinders. We work with a certified hazardous-waste contractor for those loads and will quote them separately.
Why do tiles cost extra?
Ceramic and porcelain tiles have to be separated by hand at the landfill, so they trigger the R375 sorting fee even inside an otherwise clean rubble load. Bagging them separately during a strip-out keeps the rest of the load clean and avoids the charge.
What exactly counts as a mixed load?
Any load combining categories that go to different disposal gates — rubble together with garden refuse, or household waste thrown in with building rubble. Each category on its own is clean; combined, the load has to be pulled apart before it can be tipped.
Can I put a fridge or a mattress in?
Yes, both are fine. Fridges, freezers, washing machines, mattresses and furniture all go. Gas cylinders do not, and neither do paint tins — those are hazardous.
What happens if I put something banned in by mistake?
Tell Cliff as soon as you realise. A load turned away at the gate costs everyone time and money, whereas a heads-up beforehand means it can be pulled out and dealt with properly. Nobody is going to be annoyed with you for asking.
Where does the waste actually end up?
Licensed disposal facilities — clean rubble, green waste and recyclables each to their own route. Nothing goes down a firebreak or onto a vacant plot, which matters in the Helderberg where illegal dumping eventually becomes somebody's very expensive problem.

More services

Book the job

Rather just ask a human?

Send a photo of what you're dealing with. Cliff will tell you what it needs — even when the answer is that you don't need us.

082 887 0807
💬 WhatsApp Cliff
📞 Call💬 WhatsApp