skip hire - house clearance

The Best Way to Clear Out a House

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Houses of all sizes contain plenty of clutter and objects that do not get used, taking up valuable space.

Old furniture, toys, tools and much more will sit around gathering dust and take up valuable room. If you have decided to clear out your house in 2021, have you consider skip hire from Staffordshire Skip Hire to make it an easier task?

4 Way To De-Clutter Your Home

Here are four of the most efficient ways to de-clutter and help your home look fresh once again –

Hire a Skip – Houses, especially, those with garages and attics can be absolutely stuffed with items that need to be thrown away or recycled. Often there can be too much waste to carry to a recycling centre, no matter the size of your car. Hiring a skip from Staffordshire Skip Hire means you will not have to make multiple journeys to your tip. The added bonus is that we recycle as much of your waste as possible which lowers the environmental impact of your waste.

Make an Inventory – If you are having the ultimate house clearout, it is best to make an inventory of items that you definitely do not want to throw away. This means you can avoid getting rid of precious family heirlooms, valuable objects or any other item of sentimental value.

Ask for Help – Spring cleaning can often be achieved by one person, but cleaning out every room in your house is not. By getting a friend or family member to give you a hand, you will be able to cover more rooms quickly, cutting your workload in half. If you decide to hire a skip for the waste, Staffordshire Skip Hire can arrange a collection at a time that suits you, meaning you can put your feet up after a hard day of cleaning.

Clean Out Your Garage and Attic – As we have mentioned earlier, these two locations are often filled with items that you no longer use. Cleaning up these spaces will free up much-needed space for items you may not use every single day.

Talk to the Skip Hire Specialists

If you are considering a house clearance this year, get in touch with Staffordshire Skip Hire for the most cost-effective skip hire on the market.

loft conversions - skip hire

Everything You Need to Know About Loft Conversions

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A loft conversion is one of the best ways to create more space in your home; creating another bedroom, a home office or even a gym!

Depending on the size of your loft, you could require a skip hire or large container to help with the waste generated. Here at Staffordshire Skip Hire, we have dealt with plenty of loft conversions which is why we have put together this list of things you need to know before starting this project.

The Key Points for Loft Conversions

Before undertaking a loft conversion, it is important to consider the following four points which will save you money, time and leave you with a beautiful new room in your home.

Get a Fixed Price – Before any works start you will need a fixed price from a contractor or builder’s firm. Unexpected work and a delayed/escalated timescale will hit you in the pocket. Making sure you have a fixed price in writing will help to mitigate any hidden costs and charges.

Hire a Skip – During the construction of your loft conversion, lots of waste, rubbish and building materials will be generated. Depending on the size of your space, you may require a small skip hire or if it is a larger space, you will obviously need a bigger skip. Items such as old furniture, bits of boarding and unwanted old possessions will need to be disposed of. This is where Staffordshire Skip Hire can help, by taking some of these materials away in one of our skips.

Understand Fire Regulations – This is one of the most crucial points to consider. Opening up your ceiling for a staircase can make the spread of fire more rapid. Ensure you have contacted your local authority or fire station to understand more about fire regulations before starting your loft conversion.

Check Planning Permission – Make sure you get planning permission before work starts. Check with your local council beforehand as you may not even need it but this will help avoid any unpleasant legal issues.

Get in Touch with the Skip Hire Specialists

If you are considering a loft conversion soon, please contact Staffordshire Skip Hire for all of your skip hire requirements.

washing machine disposal

Handling Washing Machine Disposable Effectively

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It can be considered a daunting task when you need to dispose of your old washing machine, but luckily Staffordshire Skip Hire are here to help.

Washing machines are classed as hazardous waste, meaning they need extra attention when it comes to getting rid of them. Whether it is broken, outdated or you are just ready for something new, your washing machine will need disposing of responsibly.

Unfortunately, if your washing machine is broken, you can’t just throw it in a skip. They are extremely heavy machines plus it is classed as a hazardous item meaning it will need to be handled in an eco-friendly way. Although extra attention is required, this should be simple disposal which is both responsible and cost-effective.

In this blog, we will share two different disposal options for you, no matter your reason for getting a new washer.

2 Ways to Dispose of Your Washing Machine

Recycling Centre – Recycling centres are the easiest way to dispose of an old washing machine, just check in advance that they will accept them.

Recycle Now is a great resource which can locate your nearest and compliant centre.

Council Collection – Your local council can save you time and effort when it comes to getting rid of your old washing machine. Most local councils offer a collection and removal service for residents, you will just need to check your machine will be accepted for collection. While this is a cost-effective solution, you could find yourself at the end of a long waiting list.

If you are happy to wait for availability this could your option, but if your waste is more urgent you may need to reconsider.

Got any Questions? Get in Touch Now

If you have any questions about washing machine disposal, please contact Staffordshire Skip Hire today. We are Stoke on Trent’s leading skip hire providers.

skip hire

Your Guide to Recycling WEEE

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WEEE is an abbreviation of waste electrical and electronic equipment, which covers a wide range of products that you are likely to throw out or replace regularly.

Many people know to seperate paper, bottles and garden waste from their regular rubbish, but some items still find their way into the wrong bins. With a lot of items unable to go into specific bins, the best solution is hiring a skip from Staffordshire Skip Hire.

We are proud to offer cost-effective skips in a number of sizes to ensure you get the best skip for your requirements.

If you live in an area without ample parking, or on a narrow road, a smaller skip is perfect to help you to remove general rubbish that cannot be recycled. WEEE has become one of the most difficult, and increasingly common waste streams to recycle.

Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Explained

Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment can include items such as –

  • Laptops and Personal Computers
  • Mobile Phones
  • Tablet Computers
  • Wiring and Plugs
  • TVs and Monitors
  • Mp3 Players and Sound Equipment
  • Batteries
  • Fluorescent or Incandescent Light Bulbs or LEDs
  • DVD, Video or CD Players or Free View Boxes

All of these items are recyclable but you simply cannot put them in a standard recycling bin.

Anything electrical, whether it needs a connection to the main electrical circuit or batteries can be classified as WEEE. This category of waste continues to grow at an exponential rate all across Europe.

As the recycling system for WEEE is still quite ineffective and has not been introduced for standard household recycling bins, industry statistics revealed more than three-quarters of WEEE still end up landfill sites.

Talk to the Skip Hire Specialists

If you need a skip for your waste electrical and electronic equipment, please do not hesitate to contact Staffordshire Skip Hire today.

skip hire permits

Do I Need a Permit to Hire a Skip?

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If you decided to make the most of a reliable skip hire service, but don’t have space on your property for a skip, you will need to place it on the road, pavement or another property that is council-owned.

If this is the case, you will need to apply for a skip permit from your local authority according to the Highways Act 1980: section 139 road traffic regulations act, 1984.

How Do I Get a Skip Permit?

Skip permits allow you to put a skip on a council-owned property, including roads, for as long as the permit is active. Typically these permits last around a month and can be obtained through your local council.

Staffordshire Skip Hire recommend allowing at least 48 hours for your application to be submitted, processed and approved although it can sometimes take longer.

Restrictions, Fines and Penalties Explained

If your skip will be placed in a busy traffic area, you may need to position traffic cones on the approach side of the skip. This ensures that traffic will pass safely around your skip. During the night if the weather is bad, your skip should be marked with amber flashing lights. These lights will be attached to the corners of the skip and will be very useful in preventing accidents in periods of low visibility.

If the skip is on the road without permission from your local authority, you are actually committing an offence. You could be fined up to £200, or in more serious cases you could be taken to court and fined up to £1000!

Talk to the Skip Hire Specialists

If you have any questions about skip hire permits, please do not hesitate to contact Staffordshire Skip Hire today.

We are Stoke on Trent’s leading supplier of skips for hire plus grab lorry and digger hire.

skip hire - construction

Things NOT To Do When Hiring a Skip

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As soon as the time comes for some refurbishment, garden work or your annual clearout, the smartest homeowners will organise a skip from Staffordshire Skip Hire.

We are constantly amazed by some of the mistakes people will make when hiring one of our skips to help make their task easier and quicker. This is why we have put together a brief summary of the most common mistakes people make regarding skip usage.

3 Common Skip Hire Mistakes

1. Overfill Your Skip – One of the most common problems when undertaking refurbishment or building work, is overfilling your skip. With a wide range of skip sizes available, it is surprising how often people will go for a smaller size. If in doubt always go for a bigger skip!
It is much more cost-effective to hire a bigger skip than have to fork out for another skip for your excess waste. Remember to place heavier items on top of weaker items and ensure all flattened materials are put in first. If the waste rises over the lip of the skip, it is overfilled, which is actually illegal. You could be liable for prosecution plus you could damage other people’s vehicles or property in transit if the truck cannot lift the skip.

2. Put Your Skip in the Wrong Place – It is a much better solution to keep your skip on your private property if you have space. This will prevent congestion and avoid any damage to cars and oncoming traffic. A skip permit is required to place your waste solution on the main road, which is another cost that needs to be factored in. If you are placing heavy items in the skip, take into consideration whether the floor below the skip could up damaged because of placing the skip on the surface.

3. Put Wrong Items In – Avoid putting any items which could be hazardous into the skip, including televisions, radios, batteries, asbestos and tyres. These sort of items need to be disposed of by a specialist. Just make sure your skip hire is suitable for the materials that you are getting rid of.

Get in Touch for More Information

If you have any questions about hiring a skip from Staffordshire Skip Hire, please do not hesitate to contact us today.

metal recycling - skip hire

How Is Metal Recycled?

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Houses are loaded full of metal, whether it is cans or saucepans plus large pieces in items such as bed frames and TV stands and the metal used in the construction of the building.

If you are looking to get rid of bulkier items during a total home renovation project you will need a skip from Staffordshire Skip Hire.

A lot of household waste can be recycled, but how exactly is metal recycled? We will explore this topic during this blog.

Explaining Metal Recycling

The most common metals found in homes are steel, aluminium and copper. Metal is needed for plenty of applications and luckily all of these common types can be easily recycled.

Steel and aluminium are recycled in much the same manner, with waste collected by a skip hire provider or your local council for smaller bits such as cans.

Each item is then transported to a recycling centre where it is cleaned and processed ready to be delivered to foundries all over the country. Steel is chopped up into smaller bits, whereas aluminium is shredded first as it makes it easier for each material to be melted down.

When the metal has been melted it is forged into ingots, or if it is being used to make new drinks cans it will be put into a machine which thinly spreads it into sheets. Once the material is processed it will be transported to factories that need it and turned into a wide range of different items.

Most people believe their old cans are turned into new ones, but recycled steel and aluminium is used to manufacture a number of items including –

  • Cars
  • Boats
  • Trains
  • Pots and Pans
  • Aeroplanes
  • Household appliances

Copper is used for wiring and piping and needs to be graded before it is recycled. The copper used for piping can be recycled straight away as it does not need to carry an electrical current. It can also be melted down and turned into ingots and sent to manufacturers who need it, much the same as steel and aluminium.

Talk to the Skip Hire Specialists

If you have any more questions about recycling metal, please do not hesitate to contact Staffordshire Skip Hire today.

skip hire

Remodelling Your Kitchen with Skip Hire

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If you are considering giving your kitchen a revamp, you will need to consider hiring a skip from Staffordshire Skip Hire.

Remodelling your kitchen is a massive undertaking with plenty of waste generated, as there will be plenty of different construction materials used for cupboards, piping and kitchen worktops.

Why are Skips so Important for Kitchen Remodelling?

Here are the materials which mean you will need a skip for this project –

Wood – Wood makes up a lot of kitchen areas, including bulky cupboards that line your walls. Add to this your draws and shelves which are all quite difficult to remove when deciding to change your layout. Using a skip will allow you the opportunity to recycle as much of your wood as possible and dispose of the rest responsibly.

Metal – There is also plenty of big and bulky metal objects in kitchens that could need replacing. This includes old copper pipes plus your kitchen sink and drainage area. All of these items will need disposing of properly, which is why skips are the best solution.

Stone – Many kitchens use hard stones such as granite, or in more expensive properties marble is used for worktops and surfaces. If you are replacing these then expect plenty of rubble. Again a skip is the most effective method to get rid of high volumes of waste from a big kitchen remodelling project.

Please note that skip hire companies will not take away your kitchen appliances like fridges or freezers as they contain harmful CFC chemicals. For the rest of your kitchen remodelling project junk make Staffordshire Skip Hire your first call.

Talk to the Skip Hire Specialists

For any type of home renovation project, Staffordshire Skip Hire have a skip waiting for you. Our skips start at 2 tonnes and go up to 12 cubic yard lidded skips for larger projects.

If you would like a no-obligation quote, please do not hesitate to contact us today.

skip hire - winter clearance

Prepare for Winter with Skip Hire

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While winter does not officially start until 22nd December, for many of us that time feels like the middle of winter, not the beginning.

It is also the most special time of year with the Christmas festivities in full swing. This is why autumn is the best time to hire a skip and prepare for winter efficiently.

For our latest blog, Staffordshire Skip Hire is going to share five ways you can prepare for winter using a skip and give yourself a stress-free festive season with plenty of mulled wine or hot chocolate in front of the fire.

5 Winter Clearout Tips

Pre-Christmas Clearout – Even if you love Christmas, the winter season can feel cold, dark and wet at times, making it a good time to make your home as homely as possible. Having a pre-Christmas clear-out can make room for guests plus it clears space for Christmas decorations such as your tree which should take pride of place without being surrounded by clutter.

Hiring a skip will help dispose of visible clutter and you can also empty your drawers and cupboards of anything you don’t need anymore to free up storage space.

A Lean and Clean Wardrobe – Ditch those tatty old clothes and make room for a winter wardrobe selection, where each item has clear air to prevent it from getting damp and musty during storage. Bulky garments such as thick jumpers and cardigans can be vacuum-packed and stored away in the summer but will require more hanging space in winter.

We all hoard clothes we never wear and while some are perfectly fine for charity shop donations or hand-me-downs, some of the older ratty-looking garments are destined for the bin.

DIY Debris – The end of the year can come around pretty quickly leaving little time to finish off those DIY and decorating plans. Keep everything which can still be used in the next stage of your home improvement plans, but throw away empty paint cans, remnants of wood and other waste materials.

You may find renewed motivation to complete the remaining work, or alternatively, give yourself a blank canvas to pick things up again next year.

Don’t Forget About the Garden – Wet and windy weather can make gardening even more of a chore, but it is also important to maintain care for your outdoor spaces. You will need to be smart about what you keep, such as fallen leaves which can provide nutritious mulch for flowerbeds with grass clippings doing the same for your lawn.

If you are cutting back shrubs for the winter or removing weak and rotten branches from trees, skip hire is a great way to get rid of woody material that cannot be put in garden waste wheelie bins.

Seasonal Skip Hire is the Solution – Finally, while you may not have specific waste to get rid of, winter can still produce a lot of rubbish, especially from Christmas presents and the extra home festivities.

Hiring a skip from Staffordshire Skip Hire could be the best decision you will make, giving you plenty of room for household waste plus you will have somewhere to bin your Christmas tree in January.

Contact to the Skip Hire Specialists

If you would like to know more about skip hire, please do not hesitate to get in touch today.

Staffordshire Skip Hire are the leading provider of skips for hire right across Stoke on Trent plus nearby areas such as Leek and Werrington.

skip hire - mattresses

Disposing of Mattresses with Staffordshire Skip Hire

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While it feels like one of the great cliches of skip hire, that a mattress always ends up sticking out of the top of a skip, this can lead to major problems.

The majority of skip hire providers will charge extra to dispose of mattresses or simply refuse to collect them at all; especially if they exceed the fill level of the skip as this can be dangerous for transport.

So if your mattress has seen better days, what can you do to dispose of it safely? Here is a handy guide from Staffordshire Skip Hire to answer all of your questions in one place.

5 Options for Mattress Disposal

Collection from Skip Hire Provider – If you have hired a skip for a project such as a bedroom refurbishment, it is worth checking with your provider to ask if they could collect your mattress seperately.
It is not unusual for skip companies to arrange individual collection for awkward items such as fridge-freezers or mattresses. An extra fee will need to be paid in most cases, which can be factored into your overall budget for a bedroom redecoration.

Council Collection – Different local authorities have different rules regarding the collection of bulky items such as mattresses for removal and disposal. Staffordshire Skip Hire would recommend checking with your local council regarding these type of fees.
It is not as straightforward as counting a complete bed with the mattress as one item; as this could be classed as four, including the mattress the frame, headboard and the slats.

Give it Away – Your old mattress could be of use for someone else, especially if you are replacing it after the recommended seven years or sooner. There are people out there who sleep on mattresses that are decades old. If your mattress remains in decent condition, you could ask family or friends or even local Facebook groups and get someone to take it off your hands for free.

Take it to the Tip – Driving your old mattress to the tip is tricky but some people end up doing this as they do not have any alternatives. It is usually free to dispose of a mattress at the tip, but this takes time to get there plus extra effort finding a suitable van or another vehicle.

Recycling – Proper mattress recycling is very effective but unfortunately quite rare. A good recycling centre will extract its metal springs while recycling the padding for new uses such as carpet underlay.
Up to 95% of the mass of a mattress is recyclable but many are fly-tipped or in landfill sites. If you want to make sure yours does not end up like them, find a mattress recycler or speak to Staffordshire Skip Hire about safe disposal.

Talk to the Skip Hire Specialists

If you have any questions about disposing of mattresses, please do not hesitate to contact Staffordshire Skip Hire today.

We are Staffordshire’s leading provider of skip for hire, plus we also offer digger and grab lorry hire.