Driveway and patio jobs look small on paper until you start lifting. A standard patio of 30 square metres in concrete slabs comes out at roughly 2 tonnes of waste. A block paved drive can be heavier. By the time you have prised it up, broken it down and stacked it, the pile is bigger than the space it came from.
If you are planning a project this summer, the size of skip you book matters more than for almost any other job. Hardcore is the heaviest waste we handle, and the wrong skip can cost you time and a second delivery.
Why hardcore breaks the usual rules
Most skips have a weight limit. A maxi 8 yard skip looks like it should swallow a patio whole, but loaded with concrete or block paving it will hit its weight limit while still half empty. At that point the skip cannot be lifted, and we have to swap it for a fresh one.
For anything mostly made of brick, block, concrete, soil or slab, a smaller skip is usually the safer pick.
The skip sizes that actually suit driveways and patios
A builder skip (6 yard) is the most common choice for a domestic patio lift. Filled with hardcore it works to its weight limit at roughly two thirds full, which is the right loading for the lorry. If you have a 30 to 40 square metre patio, one builder skip will usually do it.
A midi skip (4 yard) suits a smaller patio, a single path lift, or a section of drive. Useful if you are working in stages.
A maxi or open top skip has its place, but only when the waste is genuinely mixed: hardcore plus timber, plastic, garden waste, fence panels. If the load is mostly hard material, a builder is better.
For a full driveway dig out, especially if you are also taking up base layers, the maths often tips toward a RoRo container instead.
When a RoRo container is the better call
If the job is bigger than around 60 square metres, or if you are also lifting base layers and sub-base, you are likely looking at 6 to 10 tonnes of waste. That is more than two builder skips, and it usually works out cheaper and easier to take a single 20 yard RoRo container instead.
RoRo containers come on a hook lorry, sit on the drive (access permitting) and take the full load in one go. We hire them across Worthing, Brighton, Hove and the wider Sussex area, and the booking process is the same as a skip. Find out more.
Permits and access
If the skip or RoRo cannot fit on your drive and needs to sit on the road, it needs a permit. We arrange the permit for you when you book and let you know the lead time, which varies by council.
A few quick things to check before delivery:
- Width of access from the road to the drop point.
- Overhanging trees or wires (we need 4 metres of clear height for a skip, 5 metres for a RoRo).
- A flat firm surface for the skip to sit on.
Trade and contractor jobs
If you are a contractor lifting drives across Sussex, we run a trade tipping service from our Lancing yard. Bring waste straight in, get weighed, pay on the gate. It saves a skip on smaller jobs and gives you a backup when a site needs clearing fast.
Book online or call us
You can book your skip or RoRo at rabbitwastemanagement.co.uk. If your job sits between sizes and you are not sure which way to go, call 01903 762020. We have been hiring skips in Sussex since 1988 and we will save you a wasted delivery.
Book a skip online | Trade line: 01903 762020
