Using skip bins for your renovations

Typical construction site

Typical construction site

sorting waste

Sort the waste of you can

concrete volume calculation

How to calculate volume

When embarking on a renovation project the left over building materials, packaging and other wastes are often not considered up-front. More often than not renovators will use bulk waste containers (skip bins) to store waste materials on-site for removal at a later time. These skip bins are usually hired on a periodic basis during the renovation and come in a range of sizes to accommodate varying needs. While the end game of renovating is an improvement to ones home a large portion of the work to be done is actually cleaning up and disposing of wastes produced by the activities under taken. This is why considering what wastes you will have up-front is important so you know what size skip bin you will need or if you are going to need more than one.

The first thing to be considered before hiring a skip is what waste materials you will actually have. Wastes might include packaging from a new vanity or furniture which you have purchased or existing tiles which you are going to remove from a bathroom. They might include concrete or bricks from a patio which you are replacing or simply removing entirely. You might be replacing mouldy or damaged plaster board, fibro or asbestos. You should start a list of the wastes you will be getting rid of so when speaking to skip bin suppliers you remember all of the types of things you will be putting in it.

Once you have worked out what all of the major wastes you will be getting rid of are, you need to workout approximately how much of them you will be producing. This is easy enough to workout for things like concrete, plaster board, simply find the surface area of the item to be disposed of by measuring the length and width of it. Multiply these two number together and you have the surface area of the concrete or plaster board. If there are a number of different areas that will have the waste type removed then add the surface area of these together to get a total surface area for the concrete or plasterboard. Now workout the thickness of the concrete or plasterboard and multiply the surface area by this number and you will have the volume of that waste.

You should now have a list of the wastes that you will be putting into any skip bins that you hire to have the waste removed from your renovation. Some of the items on your list may be hazardous such as asbestos and you should hire a separate skip bin for this if you have a lot of other wastes to get rid of. You may also have a number of potentially recyclable materials such as timber, concrete and plasterboard which provided you have a decent quantity of you can separate on-site and pay a lower rate for disposing/recycling them.

skip bin with door
Skip bin with door.

Whether the skip hirer can recycle particular materials will vary between companies so it is important to call a number of suppliers to see if they can offer a lower rate for certain types of waste or not. Additionally where hazardous wastes like asbestos are concerned it is important to make the supplier aware that you have these materials as soon as you know your are dealing with them. Not all skip bins can be used for hazardous materials and suppliers do not always allow it in their bins. When talking to suppliers of skip bins is is usually useful to explain your project a little and be detailed about what you are getting rid of as it will help them make recommendations to you about what skip bins or other solutions could be employed.

Skip bin hire companies can charge in a number of different ways and this can lead to some confusion about what you will actually end up paying. The normal and most simple way that skip bin hire companies charge is a flat rate for the hire of the skip bin and disposal of the waste. The fee usually includes a flat number of days hire, after which the company will remove the skip. If the bin is required longer then the skip hirer may charge additional fees. Some companies will also impose weight limits, which if exceeded will incur additional charges also. The other way that skip bin hire companies charge is called service plus tipping, which as its name implies means that a flat rate is charged for the hire only. Wastes placed in the bin as subsequently put in landfill or recycled are charge directly to you. You should make sure that you are aware of how you will be charged upfront otherwise you could be in for a big surprise.

Who ever thought that getting rid of waste from your renovations could take up so much time and consideration? This could save you big headaches if you consider it up-front and talk to a number of suppliers to find the skip hire service that is right for you.

Article supplied by: Bins, Skips, Waste & Recycling

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