Skip bin hire questions, answered

Work backwards from the job. A garden tidy-up or a single room is usually a 2m³ or 3m³; a full house move or a kitchen rip-out is more like a 4m³ or 6m³; a whole-house clearance is an 8m³ or 10m³. Heavy waste is the exception, because weight runs out before volume does. The size guide has all six with what each one holds.

Against a 240L council bin, a cubic metre is a bit over four of them. So a 2m³ holds about eight, a 4m³ about sixteen and a 6m³ about twenty-five. It is a volume comparison only, and it says nothing about weight.

Tell us what you are clearing out when you enquire and we will size it for you, which is the point of quoting rather than listing prices. Two smaller bins are often better than one that is too big to fill or too small to finish.

Most household and renovation waste: furniture, timber, plasterboard, flooring, carpet, packaging and general clutter. Green waste, soil and rubble each go in their own bin rather than through a general load, because they are handled and charged differently.

Asbestos, liquids, paint, chemicals, gas bottles, tyres, batteries and medical waste never go in a skip, whoever you hire it from. Asbestos in particular is licensed work with its own handling rules and needs a separate, licensed process.

No. A few buckets is enough to push a general load over its weight limit, and mixing heavy material through it changes what can be done with the load at the other end. Heavy waste goes in a smaller bin loaded to its limit.

None of them are banned. They each have to be dealt with a particular way, which is the whole reason it matters that we know in advance. A fridge or air conditioner holds refrigerant gas that has to be removed by a licensed technician before the unit can be scrapped. E-waste and mattresses usually go through their own streams rather than general waste. Treated timber cannot be mulched, so it never belongs in a green load. Mention any of them when you enquire and we will tell you how they need to go.

Almost always, and a standard driveway takes anything up to a 6m³ comfortably. The truck needs clear access to drop it and lift it again, so it is worth checking for low branches, narrow gates and soft ground before the day.

On your own driveway, lawn or hardstand, no. On the road or the footpath, usually yes, because that is public land. The rules are not the same across the Hunter councils, so check with your own council before you book rather than relying on a general answer.

Not if we know exactly where the bin should go and the spot is clear. Send a photo or a description with your enquiry if the placement is at all tricky.

Bins are placed on timbers or boards where that helps. Tell us if the surface is stamped concrete, pavers, resin or anything else you would rather not risk, and we will work around it.

It depends on six things: the size, the waste type, the weight, how long you keep it, how far we travel and how easy the bin is to place. That is why we quote rather than list a price. The quote is free and there is no obligation.

The hire period is agreed when you book. Tell us roughly how long you need it and it will be confirmed in your quote, so there is no standard clock running that you have to guess at.

That depends on the day and where you are, so it is confirmed when we come back to you rather than promised in advance. If you have a deadline, put it in the enquiry and we will tell you straight away whether it works.

Across the Hunter, including Maitland, Port Stephens, Cessnock, Raymond Terrace, Lake Macquarie, Singleton and the towns around them. If your suburb is not on the list, ask anyway.

Not with a skip, that is the deal: the bin is yours to fill in your own time. If you would rather not do the loading at all, rubbish removal is the other product, where a crew turns up and loads it for you.