To comply with environmental legislation, you must not put the following items into a skip:
- asbestos
- batteries
- tyres
- fridge freezers
- chemicals
- paint
You must also make sure that your waste is not higher than the skip and it is secure and safe.
When you need a licence
You do not need a licence to place a skip on private property like a residential driveway. However, you do need a licence to place a skip on a public highway. This means you need a licence to place a skip on all roads, footways, footpaths, verges and backstreets.
We also have the right to specify conditions for the position of any builder's skips.
We will usually not authorise skips on:
- a footway or verge unless there are exceptional circumstances
- the highway if the skip could reasonably be placed on private property
- a section of highway that has a traffic regulation order restricting vehicle parking
Register your company
Only skip hire companies can apply for a licence to place a skip on the public highway and they need to be registered with us.
You can register online. You will need:
- evidence that your company has £5 million public liability insurance
- a copy of your public liability insurance with a minimum cover of £5 million
- details of your waste carrier licence - find out about registering as a waste carrier on the government website
If you are not a registered waste carrier, we may ask you for more information before we make a decision on your application. You will need to tell us why you need the licence and how you plan to remove and dispose of waste legally.
Apply to register a skip company
What happens next
We will send you confirmation that your company is registered within five working days.
You cannot apply for a licence until you have got this confirmation from us.
Apply for a licence
After we have confirmed your company is registered, you can apply for a skip licence.
You must give us at least three working days' notice before the date you plan to place a skip on a public highway.
If you think your skip will affect street cleaning operations, car parking or refuse collection, contact us before you apply for a licence.
What happens next
We will normally decide and let you know if we can issue you a licence within three working days. It can take longer if there are any issues. For example, if we need to attach conditions to the licence.
Costs
You can find out about costs in our:
If your skip is going to be placed on a road with parking charges, you will also have to reimburse us for the loss of income. You will need to have an agreement for this in place before we can issue a licence.
We will send you an invoice for payment after we approve your application.
Contact us
If you need help with your application, contact us.
Further information
What you should not put in a skip
Terms and conditions
Any skip on the public highway that does not have the correct traffic cones and beacons in place as per our terms and conditions will incur extra inspection charges.
If the situation is not immediately resolved, we will remove the skip and begin legal proceedings against the skip operator.