Blog
How Do Skip Fires Happen?
While it is less common for a skip fire to occur during the damp and colder weather there is still a risk. During the hot dry spells of summer, this risk becomes greater. In this article, look at how skip fires can happen, and the steps needed to avoid them. Dry Debris If you have placed debris inside your skip that has the potential to catch fire, there are a few precautions you can take such as covering it with a tarpaulin or sheet. If you’ve been doing some garden maintenance then any dry sticks, wood or leaves can act as tinder and will catch fire quickly - the tarpaulin wil...
Will a Skip Ruin My Driveway?
Skips come in all different shapes and sizes and the thought of putting something of that size on your well-kept driveway might make you a bit nervous - rest assured nothing is safer. In this article, we answer the question ‘will a skip ruin my driveway?’ Will It Ruin My Driveway? At United Junk, we take great pride and care when placing our skips on your driveway. We always ensure that when unloading it from the back of the lorry we minimise any movement to avoid scuffing, scratching or chipping your driveway. If need be, we will set the skip on planks of wood to stop tha...
How to Prevent Your Skip from Overflowing
When you hire a skip there is a tendency to throw anything and everything that you want to get rid of, the danger of this is that it will overflow. When the skip hire company comes to take it away, they may refuse to remove it until some of the contents has been removed in order to transport it safely to the waste dept. Below are a few ways to prevent your skip from overflowing. Loading the Skip The best way to avoid overflowing your skip is to assess how much waste you must get rid of. Depending on what you need the skip for one way is to pile all the waste in an available space and...
Where Should I Place My Skip?
If you are hiring a skip for your next renovation project, new house build or yearly garden clear up to make sure you check first where you can put it. The last thing you want is a fine because it is in the wrong place. Skips come with some restrictions as to where you can put them, so here is a quick guide. Private land? Most people if they have space will put their skip on the driveway or area of their own private land. There are restrictions, however, if you intend to put it on a public road. You are not allowed to put a skip on the pavement, but with a licence, you can put it on a pu...
Seven Things to Consider When Having a Skip Delivered
There are a few questions to ask yourself when you hire a skip. What am I going to use it for? How big do I need it to be? Where is it going to be located? But another consideration is whether the skip lorry will be able to deliver it to your home or business premises. Below are seven things to consider when having a skip delivered. 1. Know your location If you’ve been living in your location for a while, then you will know the best routes in and out. This is worth bearing in mind when hiring a skip as it could be trickier for lorries. The best thing to do is to contact your skip h...
How Do We Keep Our Skips Maintained?
The waste industry is one of the most productive in the UK and skips are used daily, both domestically and commercially. This means that they are subjected to everything from the weather to everyday wear and tear. To prolong their life, they must be properly maintained. Below is how we keep our skips maintained all year round at United Junk. Harsh weather Skips are used all year round and they must battle the elements being most vulnerable to the different weather conditions. Most of the time they are outside which means they are susceptible to rain, harsh winds, and heat during the...
Nine Things You Shouldn’t Put in a Skip
You might think that a skip gives you free rein to throw anything away, wrong. While materials like soil, bricks, wood, and glass are more than acceptable, there are some items such as flammable, hazardous, or cumbersome materials that you should never put into a skip. These must be disposed of in other ways - below we list nine things you should never put into a skip. 1. Batteries Batteries contain harmful chemicals that can leak and contaminate the rest of the waste. They can also be dangerous to skip handlers. Batteries should be recycled through WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic...