Jobs
Which skip for a kitchen refit
A typical domestic kitchen refit starts on a 6-yard skip. Keep fridges, freezers and other electricals out of the mixed load, and treat plasterboard as segregated waste unless the hire firm says otherwise.
Starting size
| What you are stripping | Usual starting size | When to change it |
|---|---|---|
| Units, worktops, splashback, ordinary fit-out | 6-yard | The standard builder’s skip for this job. Confirm the footprint will clear the gate. |
| Kitchen plus utility, or a second pile already in the garden | 8-yard | Only if the waste is light or mixed. Do not book an 8-yard for a rubble-heavy load. |
| A small galley tidy, few units, little boarding | 4-yard | Useful when access is tight and the pile is genuinely modest. |
| Mostly tiles, screed, brick or concrete | 6-yard or smaller | Treat as heavy waste. Read soil, rubble and concrete. Do not size up. |
For the full size table and job chooser, see What size skip do I need?.
Take these out of the mixed skip
- Fridges, freezers, cookers, dishwashers and other WEEE. Waste electricals are a separate stream. Fridges and freezers need the gases recovered. Use a council bulky collection, the HWRC, or the retailer’s like-for-like take-back when you buy a replacement.
- Plasterboard and other gypsum. Environment Agency landfill guidance: gypsum-based waste must not go to a landfill cell that accepts biodegradable waste. Many firms want a dedicated plasterboard skip or bag. Ask before you load sheets into the mixed skip. Full page: plasterboard and skips.
- Gas bottles, liquids, paint tins with wet contents, batteries. Same ban list as any mixed domestic skip – see what you cannot put in a skip.
- Asbestos. If you find lagging, insulating board or suspect cement board, stop. Do not put it in the hire skip. Follow GOV.UK asbestos guidance.
Operators disagree on bagged plasterboard inside a mixed skip. Their list wins for that booking. If they refuse the load, you pay for the mistake.
What usually does go in
Timber units, worktops, laminate, packaging, non-asbestos boarding the firm accepts, and light mixed building waste. Level the load. Do not peak it above the rim. Soft furnishings from the old kitchen stools or banquette: ask first if they may be treated as POPs seating.
Placement and the carrier
- Driveway hardstanding that takes the whole skip: usually no highway permit. Public road, pavement or verge: you need a licence – Do I need a skip permit?.
- Check the firm’s waste-carrier number (CBDU…) on the public register before they take the waste – how to check a waste carrier licence.
Skip Clerk has no hire partners yet and no prices on this page. When we add a booking link it will be marked as an affiliate link. Until then, use a licensed local operator and confirm the load type with them.
Sources
- Starting sizes for kitchen jobs: consistent practice across UK hire-firm guides and the site size chooser. Exact dimensions and bag counts still vary by operator.
- GOV.UK / Environment Agency: dispose of waste to landfill – gypsum not with biodegradable waste.
- GOV.UK: dispose of household waste and WEEE regulations – electricals out of the mixed skip; retailer take-back.
- GOV.UK: asbestos in your home.
- 6-yard skip, what you cannot put in a skip, soil, rubble and concrete.