Your Guide to Skip Bin Sizes

A skip bin – also known as a dumpster in US and Canadian English – is basically defined as a waste container with an open top that is specifically designed to be loaded on to a lorry or truck. Some skip bins have a large door on either side to allow for manual loading and unloading, but these are commonly used for soil or garden debris and rarely for general commercial or industrial waste. Skips are typically made of hard, durable materials like steel, metal alloys, chrome-plated aluminium, and hardened plastics to withstand the rough handling they typically go through.

People typically hire or rent skip bins for a set time period; anywhere between a few hours to a few months. They come in all weights and sizes, and the size people choose usually depend on what they need it for. Some skips – called mini skips – can be as small as 2 yards and weigh as much as 250 kilograms (550lbs.), while others – called maxi skips – can reach up to 40 yards.

Before hiring a skip bin, a good rule of thumb is to estimate how much waste you’re going to throw away and what kind. In doing so, you waste precious time, effort, and resources. It’s also better to overestimate rather than underestimate. But if you’ve never hired a skip before, the calculation and selection process might be a bit deterring. No worries; as long as you know what you want the skip for, below is a handy guide you can follow to determine how big a skip bin you need.

SKIP BIN SIZES

Before you go into the guide, below is a summary of the more common skip bin sizes available.

MINI SKIPS

2 Yard – 2 cubic metres

Roughly: 1.80m length x 1.50m width x 0.95m height

3 Yard – 3 cubic metres

Roughly: 2.40m length x 1.50m width x 1.00m height

4 Yard – 4 cubic metres

Roughly: 3.20m length x 1.50m width x 1.00m height

REGULAR/AVERAGE SKIPS

6 Yard – 4 cubic metres

Roughly: 3.60m length x 1.50m width x 1.30m height

8 Yard – 8 cubic metres

Roughly: 3.60m length x 1.50m width x 1.60m height

10 Yard – 10 cubic metres

Roughly: 5.00m length x 2.00m width x 1.00m height

MAXI SKIPS

12 Yard – 12 cubic metres

Roughly: 5.50m length x 2.20m width x 1.00m height

Anything bigger than 12 Yard

PROJECT TYPES

Again, the skip bin size you want will depend heavily on the kind of project you’re undertaking. Bear in mind that the type of waste you’ll be throwing away will also affect your decision. For instance, you could still make do with a single 2- or 3-Yard skip for one whole week if all you were throwing away was office waste i.e., dry papers, broken paperclips, old folders, used paper fasteners, and so on. But if you’re hiring a skip just for one afternoon of yard/garden clean-up, a lot of contractors would recommend a 4- or 6-Yard skip just to be on the safe side.

Here are some of the more common projects – both commercial and residential – that would need a skip bin.

RENOVATION

If it’s a room renovation, you can be sure there’ll be plenty of leftover debris and rubble to dispose of. Getting a sturdy skip is crucial if you want those broken planks of wood, cement blocks, and rusted nails to stay in one place where they can’t pose a health hazard to anyone.

Kitchen Renovation – 3- or 4-Yard/3 or 4 cubic metre skip

Kitchens are generally one of the trickier rooms to renovate. They hold a lot of accessories – utensil holders, cabinets and cupboards, silverware, countertop accessories, wall decorations, fruits and spices – and a lot of construction materials – tile, granite countertops, glass panes and windows, plaster, wooden chairs. While these aren’t very heavy-duty, they’re still dangerous to have lying around. Best to get a 3- or 4-Yard skip bin for this type of project.

Bathroom Renovation – 3-Yard/3 cubic metre skip

What typically gets disposed of in a bathroom renovation are: broken or cracked tiles, broken mirrors (and pieces of glass), old shower curtains or screens, old curtain rails, rusted clothes hooks, old or stained shower accessories (think shower heads, popped-off bidets, unwanted toothbrush holders, stained soap dishes, and etc.,) and maybe the packaging material for your new furniture and belongings. These aren’t particularly light items, but they’re not too heavy either. A 3-Yard or 3 cubic metre skip is your best bet.

MOVING

Moving out of a house or apartment is the perfect opportunity to get rid of things that are broken or beyond repair, items you no longer need or want, and clothes or furniture you’ve been meaning to give away. A mini skip is best if you’re just transferring apartments. If it’s a proper house-and-lot setup that you’re leaving behind, a regular-sized one should be just fine.

Apartment Clean-up/Move-out

An average-sized studio or one-bedroom apartment can hold a lot of stuff, but chances are you’re going to be bringing most of that stuff with you – especially if you’re just renting and the furniture there isn’t your own. A 2-Yard or 3-Yard skip bin should be more than enough.

Whole House Clean-up/Move-out

If you’re planning to get rid of small pieces of furniture like cabinets, chairs, wastebaskets, organizers, and the like, a 4-Yard or 4 cubic metre skip bin should cover you. For larger items like exercise equipment, tables, closets, or even full bed frames, you’re better of hiring a 6-Yard or 6 cubic metre skip bin.

One of the most important issues being tackled by most governments in the world today is the amount of trash generated by cities every day. In Australia alone, we generate around 2,100 kilogrammes of trash per person, per annum, as of 2007. That amount is no joke, especially since the space we have for waste disposal is fairly limited.

This is why recycling is such an important aspect of waste reduction and management. This is just one of the ways we can reduce our carbon footprint on the planet, and it’s also a great way of reusing materials that can be reutilised. This is one of the reasons why here at Ezy Skips, we participate with the local government’s recycling efforts—we want to keep our city clean and eco-friendly for generations to come!

With this in mind, here are some of the basic things you need to know about recycling in Melbourne. Note that you may need to get in touch with city officials to know more about some of our recycling efforts. But we hope that this will help you better understand the need for managing our waste, and how exactly we can do that.

Why Recycle?

As mentioned earlier: recycling is just one of the ways we can reduce our carbon footprint in the world today. By reducing the amount of trash we bring to our landfills, we are simultaneously doing three things. Firstly, we are ensuring that we need less space for the trash we produce. That’s a fairly important thing, since we don’t want our trash disposal facilities to be bigger than our living spaces.

Secondly, we’re ensuring that the environment is protected. Recycling your waste ensures that there is less pollution out in the wild—plastics take forever to decompose, and the process alone can leach harmful chemicals into the soil and water. These can contaminate the food we eat, and the water we drink.

Thirdly, we’re ensuring that there’s more of the planet for our children to enjoy. Think of a clean environment as your memento to your kids.

What Do We Recycle?

Depending on who you ask, virtually anything is recyclable. But as a rule of thumb, some things are easier to recycle than others. However, the government’s recycling efforts focus on composting organic material into compost that can be used for improving our agriculture. We also have facilities that handle materials that may otherwise be hazardous to the health of the community at large.

Organic waste is one of the most widely recycled materials in the city of Melbourne. That’s because it can be fairly easy to manage. Recycling green waste is just a matter of ensuring that the decomposition process is properly monitored, and that the collection process guidelines are properly followed.

At the other end of the spectrum, hazardous waste facilities exist not so much as to repurpose them, but more to reduce the waste’s exposure to people. By placing them in a centre that’s built to properly take them apart, we can reuse the parts that are safe for reuse, and dispose of the parts that are too toxic to be used.

A good example of this are the facilities that handle electronics like old mobile phones and computers. Most of the materials in these machines can be repurposed. However, there are components of this technology that are toxic, and should only be handled with proper care.

What Cannot Be Recycled?

Not everything can be recycled, however. Some of the items that can’t be repurposed are mostly waste materials coming from commercial and heavy industrial buildings. Bricks, soil, and concrete blocks are just some of these unrecyclable items, and have to be brought to landfills.

You can choose to dispose of these materials via your regular neighborhood waste pickup service. Alternately, you can personally deliver them to your nearest landfill. There are also tipping services, but these can be expensive.

The Importance of Waste Segregation

One of the most important factors affecting the success of recycling efforts is waste segregation at the individual level. By ensuring that our trash is properly segregated into the different types—biodegradable, non-biodegradable, and hazardous waste—we can help our community leaders in ensuring that we are able to recycle the items that can be recycled.

If you don’t know how to identify the kind of waste you produce, the city government website can assist you in understanding how to classify each article of rubbish. We can also help you figure out how to properly segregate and store your trash, so that we can ensure a cleaner, better future for our city.

References:

http://www.portphillip.vic.gov.au/tips.htm

http://recyclingnearyou.com.au/council/MelbourneVIC

http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/business/permits-and-approvals/waste-recycling/Pages/waste-recycling.aspx

http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/residents/waste-recycling/Pages/waste-recycling.aspx

Let’s face it: renovating your house is never an easy thing. Aside from the logistics, there’s also the question of what to do with the excess scrap materials. No matter how big or how small your renovation is going to be, you can be sure that there will always be one constant: you’re going to have a lot of trash. And this isn’t just a bagful of tossed wrappers. We’re talking pieces of drywall, scraps of wood, nails, used pails of plaster and paint—basically, the whole shebang.

So what do you do when you’re dealing with this kind of problem? There are plenty of possible solutions, thankfully. Ranging from the most obvious to the most expensive, these solutions are all viable, and your choice would really depend on what kind of skip bin waste disposal service you need, and what you can afford. If you’re conducting a small renovation that won’t generate too much trash, the cheapest solution might be the best for you. But if you’re conducting a much bigger operation, it might actually be cheaper to go for a more professional solution.

Read on, and find out what each solution can do for you.

Disposing of it Yourself

This is by far the most obvious solution, and depending on where you are located, or your equipment on hand, it can also be the easiest. Disposing of your renovation waste yourself means that you will be the one bringing your trash over to the government’s waste facilities. You will also have to be the one storing the waste during and after the completion of the renovation. Depending on how big the renovation is going to be, this can either be easy, or hard—bigger projects usually mean more waste materials.

The two biggest issues with this method is storage space, and transportation. If you don’t have a skip bin big enough to store your waste, then space is going to become an issue if you’re working on a big renovation. You may need to rent a bin for your storage needs. And if you don’t have a truck that you can use to bring your waste to the waste facilities, transporting your rubbish might also become a problem.

Residential Trash Pickup

Local government units do have a residential trash pickup service that might be useful in instances like these. The waste pickup service is relatively cheap, does not discriminate in the type of rubbish that you might have to throw away, and generally has a schedule that can help you plan your renovation in a way that you don’t accumulate too much waste before the pickup service drops by. So this can be an appealing solution for most individuals.

The problem with this solution is that it still doesn’t solve your problem of storage space. If you’re going to be using the storage bins provided by the residential pickup team, they may not be big enough for your needs. If you don’t have a skip bin, though, you may not have much of a choice, as renting a bin will still be more expensive than what you will have to pay for residential pickup. However, this is a viable, and relatively cheap solution for small renovations.

Hiring a Company

This is perhaps the most expensive solution to your renovation waste needs. However, it might also be the simplest. A hauling company will not just provide you with the bins you need for your renovation, they will also make sure that the waste is properly delivered to the disposal facilities on a regular basis. So if you’re conducting an incredibly big renovation job, this might be the best way to go.

The only issue with hiring a company to do this for you will be the fact that it won’t be cheap. If money is your issue, then a company might prove to be too expensive an option.

Combine Them All!

Luckily, however, you don’t have to stick with strictly just one solution. A combination of all three might be the most cost-efficient way of dealing with your renovation waste. You can ship some of the smaller items to junk shops and donation centres that can utilize the scrap that you normally wouldn’t need. For bigger jobs, you can rent a skip bin from a professional hauling company, and have the residential pickup service take care of hauling away your trash. This way, you are maximizing all of your resources without spending too much on the process.

References:

https://blog.allstate.com/3-ways-dispose-renovation-waste/

http://homerenovations.about.com/od/legalsafetyissues/a/RemodelingWaste.htm

Skip bins – or dumpsters in US and Canadian English – are basically waste containers built out of certain materials and to a certain size so they can hold specific materials. People can select different skip bin sizes depending on the type of waste they’re planning to throw away and the amount of it. Some people hire or rent skip bins from a licensed contractor or company. These are typically given for a certain time period – anywhere between a few hours to a few months.

One doesn’t typically need to secure a permit when hiring or renting a skip. In some cities, however, the laws are very strict and very specific when it comes to waste disposal and management. Seeing as skip bins fall under that category, permits, receipts, and other documents might be required by the city council before you can legally obtain your skip bin. A permit isn’t usually required if the bin is placed on private property. On the other hand, publicly accessible areas – like a road, sidewalk, back alley, footpath, or nature lane – have certain health restrictions, thus requiring a permit issued by the proper council.

WHO CAN OBTAIN A PERMIT

This generally varies from state to state, but generally speaking for Melbourne, permits can only be issued to licensed and/or accredited contractors. Skip hire companies like us!! – http://ezyskips.com.au/ are ultimately responsible for the skip bin placement on city land. Therefore, securing a permit for their skip bins is mandatory. Business and homeowners looking to obtain an individual permit would be better off contacting accredited companies to hire a skip bin or to obtain a permit of their own. If the skip bin will be placed on private property – as mentioned above – a permit isn’t required.

HOW LONG DO I HAVE TO WAIT BEFORE I GET MY PERMIT?

While the answer again depends on different states – and will, therefore, vary – an application for a permit (whether submitted online or in person) can take up to 2 or 3 business days to be considered. Submitting online or in person does not directly affect the waiting period.

HOW LONG IS A PERMIT VALID?

A skip bin permit is   typically valid for seven (7) working business days. This number is subject to change according to conditions, special permissions, and considerations granted by the city council.

HOW MUCH DOES A PERMIT USUALLY COST?

When you apply for a skip bin permit, you’ll be asked to pay by cash or credit card – although credit card is preferred – and immediately issued a receipt upon payment. Again, the costs can vary per state and according to conditions or parameters set. Below are the standard charges:

Standard Application Fee: $25.50

Additional Charges:

Permit Fee (per day): $17.50
Permit Fee (per week): $84.50

WHAT OTHER PERMIT CONDITIONS DO I NEED TO BE AWARE OF?

Getting a permit for a skip bin isn’t exactly complicated, but it can be pretty intimidating for first-timers. Here are a few things you should keep in mind when contemplating whether or not obtaining a permit is worth the effort.

When to obtain a permit:

• Before placing a skip bin or “bulk rubbish container” in publicly accessible areas (i.e., road, sidewalk, open park, pathways, community centers, etc.), you must have a Skip Bin Permit within possession.

Location legalities:

• If the skip bin is for public use, make sure to place it in areas that comply with city council requirements and guidelines for waste bin placement and waste disposal.
• If the skip bin is for public use, it cannot obstruct transportation or passage for pedestrians, cyclists, motorists, and other vehicle drivers. That said, it cannot be placed on walkways, cannot take up the width of a sidewalk, cannot obstruct an open-ended alley, and other similar cases.
• If the skip bin is for public use, it must be placed within the immediate surrounding area of the site it’s meant to service. Public lots and buildings are often given an absolute perimeter. As long as the skip bin hired or rented for the structure is within the perimeter, it’s within its legal location.

What to Remember When Applying for Permit:

• Regular house-and-lot deals don’t normally have the space to house a regular- to maxi skip (anything above 12 Yard or 12 cubic metres). In such cases, the skip bin would have to be placed on Council land. When faced with this possibility, a skip bin permit is no longer optional; it’s mandatory.
• The skip bin must have the brand, company name, and company contact details written or printed on the skip.
• The permit-holder or requester must be able to provide documentation and evidence for public liability insurance with a minimum value of $10,000,000.
• Whatever you’re storing in the waste bin cannot be rotting, spoiled, or giving off offensive odors.

Other Permits Required:

• If you’re doing building and construction, a separate permit for working on Council Land may be needed.

Have you ever wondered how big a skip bin you would need for your rubbish? This can be the most difficult thing to consider when you’re thinking of renting a bin for your waste management needs. The challenge lies in knowing how big a bin you need without having a clear idea of how much waste you produce on a regular basis.

The best way to figure out how big your skip bin should be is to know what can fit in which skip bin. So we’ve decided to come up with a short guide on just that. We hope that this will help you learn what you need to know about the various skip bin sizes available in the market, and also what you can fit in each one. Note that we won’t go in-depth in the pros and cons of each bin, but a briefer on what’s what about each of these will help you understand just how big of a bin you need.

A Note On Our Skip Bin Sizes

First off, we should warn you that this guide follows the bins we have in our product line. There may be smaller or bigger bins out there, but we consider these sizes to be adequate for the needs of the clients within our service area. But should you need to discuss the availability of bins with other sizes, do not hesitate to get in touch with us.

Two Cubic Metres

This bin is our smallest product, and the one that we believe fits the needs of the average household. The dimensions of these bins are 1900 X 1600 X 950 millimetres, and can fit snugly in a corner of your home’s yard. It isn’t that much bigger than your average wheelie bin—perhaps just about the size of two of these—and is great for the storage of a week’s worth of rubbish of a small family.

This also works for when you need a bin for storing your garden clippings, so long as you’re not disposing of relatively large plants.

Three Cubic Metres

When you find that you’re getting rid of bigger things, then it’s time to graduate to the three cubic metre bin. This is a little bit bigger, and can hold perhaps two weeks’ worth of rubbish from a small household. It’s also great for storing larger items that need to be thrown out.

If you also need a bin to store the material scraps from after a home renovation, this bin can also work. It has enough space to hold empty pails of paint, the shavings from sawdust, bits and pieces of scrap plyboard, and bits of broken glass.

Just make sure that you keep in mind the weight restriction of this bin when you decide to use it for storing work materials.

Four Cubic Metres

When your rubbish exceeds your current skip bins’ sizes, it’s time to move up to the bins that have an access door. Starting from the four cubic metre bin, our skip bins come with a door that makes moving large items into it a much easier endeavor.

And that’s what these bins were made for. If you’re a relatively large household with plenty of rubbish every week, you will need a skip bin of at least this size. The smaller bins won’t be able to hold the weight of a ten-person household, for example.

This is also fantastic for when you’re disposing of old, dilapidated furniture. The dimensions of this skip bin are 3300 X 1600 X 950 millimetres, which means that it can fit that old couch with the busted frame, or that mattress with springs poking out of the upholstery.

Six Cubic Metres

Are you building a porch? Or are you demolishing your old one? Whichever is the case, this bin is a major improvement from the one before it—and is also designed for heavy duty rubbish storage. The size of this bin is designed for holding at least two couches and a mattress, so if you’re expecting a lot of rubbish per week, this bin is for you.

Eight Cubic Metres

And finally, we come to our largest of our skip bin sizes. These bins can handle virtually most weights, and is large enough to house a horse. If you’re building a home, throwing away all of your furniture, or if you’re an office with a lot of rubbish generated per week, then this is the bin of your dreams.