Frequently asked questions
Clear answers to common questions about skip hire, delivery, collections, pricing, and waste types across Northern Ireland. If you’re unsure about anything, contact the McKinstry team before booking, and we’ll be happy to advise you.
Skip hire containers and waste types
You can book a skip online using our secure booking platform or contact the team directly if you need guidance on size, access, or waste type.
We supply a wide range of skip sizes, from small domestic skips (starting at four yards) through to builder’s skips and large containers for construction and commercial projects (up to 40 yards).
You can place most general household, garden, and construction waste into a standard skip.
Accepted items include:
- Bricks, rubble, concrete, and hardcore
- Wood and timber
- Garden waste, including leaves and branches
- Scrap metal
- Paper and cardboard
- Plastics and packaging
- Furniture fragments and non-electrical fittings
- Solidified paint
- Uncontaminated soil
- General household clearance waste
You must only fill the skip level with the maximum fill line. Overfilled skips cannot be transported legally.
The following items must not be placed in a standard skip:
- Electrical equipment, including TVs, fridges, and freezers
- Gas cylinders or canisters
- Asbestos or asbestos-containing materials
- Solvents, oils, liquid paints, and chemicals
- Tyres
- Batteries
- Medical or clinical waste
- Explosives or hazardous materials
- Aerosols
If prohibited items are found mixed with general waste, additional charges will apply. These charges are higher than a pre-arranged specialist disposal.
If you need to dispose of any restricted materials, contact the team before booking so we can arrange the right solution.
No. Upholstered seating that contains Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) cannot be placed in skips.
This includes:
- Sofas and sofa beds
- Armchairs and recliners
- Dining chairs with upholstery
- Office chairs
- Beanbags and cushions
These items must be taken to a recycling centre or collected separately under specialist arrangements. Items without upholstery, such as mattresses, beds, curtains, blinds, and plastic or wooden seating, are acceptable.
Not all waste can be recycled, but all waste is sorted.
Materials such as metal, wood, cardboard, green waste, plastics, rubble, and glass are separated for reuse or recycling wherever possible. Only residual waste that cannot be recovered is sent to licensed disposal routes.
This process maximises recovery and minimises landfill.
Delivery and collection
If you need a skip urgently, we’ll always try to help. However, we strongly recommend booking at least a few days in advance to secure your preferred delivery slot.
Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm. Saturday, 8am to 12 noon (excludes Biomass facilities). Closed on public holidays.
During booking, you’ll be asked to select a delivery and collection day, with AM or PM preference where available. We’ll confirm timing as close to delivery as possible.
Not necessarily. If you provide clear instructions when booking, such as “leave on driveway,” the skip can be delivered without you present. If access is unclear or restricted, someone must be available to guide the driver. Please contact us in advance if access is tight or may require a smaller vehicle.
No. You do not need to be present, provided there is clear access for the lorry. If access is blocked, additional charges may apply for failed collections or extended hire.
You are not required to, but it’s courteous to notify neighbours if the skip is placed on a public road.
Pricing and hire periods
Business waste services FAQs
Recycling, biomass, and metal recycling FAQs
General questions
Still unsure?
If you’re unsure about skip size, waste types, access, or permits, contact us before booking. We’ll give clear guidance so there are no surprises later.
