A summer garden clearance always feels bigger by the time you start sorting through it. A few overgrown bushes turn into a trailer load. The old shed has more in it than anyone remembered. Then there is the soil from last year’s beds, the patio slabs you finally got round to lifting, and the bag of broken garden chairs the kids stopped using.
Most people get to that point and ask the same question. What size skip do I actually need.
We hire skips every day across Worthing, Brighton, Hove, Lancing and the rest of Sussex, and garden jobs make up a big share of what we deliver in June and July. Here is how we usually talk customers through it.
The four sizes that cover most garden jobs
A mini skip (2 yard) holds roughly 20 to 25 bin bags. It suits a small flower bed clear, a single shed empty, or a tidy after a fence has been replaced. It fits on most driveways and does not need a permit if it sits on private land.
A midi skip (4 yard) is the one most homeowners pick by default. It holds 30 to 40 bin bags and takes a decent amount of soil and turf. Good for a full back garden tidy, a hedge that has been let go, or a clear before laying new beds.
A builder skip (6 yard) is the workhorse. It takes about 50 to 60 bin bags or the equivalent in soil, brick and rubble. If you are lifting a patio, digging out for decking, or pulling a fence and its bases, this is usually the right pick.
A maxi skip (8 yard) suits a big garden clear with bulky items: an old shed flat-packed, garden furniture, decking timbers, plus general waste. It does not take heavy waste well, so it is not the one for soil or rubble in volume.
Watch the weight on heavy materials
The most common mistake we see is ordering a large skip and filling it with soil, slabs or brick. Heavy waste fills a skip on weight long before it fills it on space, and once a skip is on its weight limit it has to be swapped. For anything heavy, a builder skip half-filled is more useful than a maxi skip half-filled. If you are unsure, give us a ring and we can talk it through.
Where the skip goes
If it sits on your driveway or front garden, you do not need a permit. If it has to go on the road, you do, and the rules vary by council. Worthing, Adur and Arun sit under West Sussex County Council. Brighton and Hove operate their own system. East Sussex Highways covers Eastbourne, Hastings and the Lewes area. We sort the permit for you when you book, you just need to tell us where it is going.
Garden waste at the yard
Once your skip is back with us, garden waste gets separated at our transfer station. Green waste goes off for composting, soil and turf are reused where we can, and anything that cannot be recycled or composted is sent for recovery rather than landfill. It is a quiet part of the service but the one we care about most.
Book your skip
Most garden clearances can be booked online and delivered the next working day across Sussex. If you are not sure what size you need, call us on 01903 762020 and we will help you pick.
