Waste
Soil and hardcore: inert loads vs mixed
Clean soil, brick, concrete and hardcore are often cheaper and simpler as an inert load than as mixed skip waste – if they really are clean. Mix in timber, plastics, plasterboard or general rubbish and the tip may reclassify the whole skip. This page complements Soil, rubble and concrete: which skip; the size answer is still usually a 4-yard or 6-yard, not a larger maxi.
Treat 6-yard as the ceiling for dense soil and hardcore unless the operator explicitly offers a larger heavy-waste product. Weight, not air space, limits the lift. Two small skips beat one overloaded large one.
Inert vs mixed, in practice
| Load | Usually booked as | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Soil, turf with soil, brick, block, concrete, clean hardcore only | Inert / heavy-waste skip | Say so when you book. Keep it free of timber, plastics and packaging. |
| Mostly rubble plus some mixed DIY waste | Mixed heavy or mixed domestic – ask | Operators disagree. Contamination can change the tip price and acceptance. |
| Light mixed waste with only a little soil | Follow the job page | Garden, kitchen, bathroom still apply. Tell the firm the mix. |
| Soil with oils, chemicals or asbestos fragments | Not a standard inert skip | Stop and get advice. Contaminated soil is a different duty-of-care problem. |
What “inert” does not mean
It is not a free pass to overfill. It is not a promise every firm uses the same tip category. Exact permitted weights and whether your load counts as inert are confirmed with the operator and, where relevant, the receiving site. Skip Clerk does not invent tonnage caps or prices.
- Do not bury plasterboard, paint tins, electricals or plastics under the spoil – plasterboard, banned list.
- Do not “upgrade” to an 8-yard, 10-yard or 12-yard for density.
- Level below the rim. Peaked loads are refused.
Placement and the carrier
- A loaded soil skip is heavy on soft ground. Use hardstanding if you can.
- Highway placement needs a licence – Do I need a skip permit?.
- If the pile is ready and a steel skip will not fit, ask about wait-and-load only if that collector accepts inert loads for your postcode.
- Carrier check: 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 details with them.
Sources
- Heavy-waste ceiling at 6-yard and inert-vs-mixed practice: consistent UK hire-firm guidance; same rule as soil, rubble and concrete and the 6-yard page. Firms still publish different exact weight caps – ask yours.
- What you cannot put in a skip – soil/rubble row.
- What size skip do I need?.
- No invented prices or operator tonnage figures on this page.