How to maximise recycling with skip hire services in the UK

According to official government statistics, the UK recycling rate currently sits around 45%. But there’s still a way to go to achieve the 2035 target of 65%. Now more than ever, we all need to play our part in cutting down landfill waste and boosting recycling wherever possible. 

Whether you’re tackling a home renovation or managing a busy construction site, hiring a skip is often the most efficient way to handle waste. But what actually happens to your waste after it’s placed in a skip? Is it recycled, or does it end up in landfill? And how can you maximise the amount of waste that’s recycled when hiring a skip?

In this blog, we explore everything you need to know about recycling and skips, and share how our skip hire services can help you do your bit for the planet.

Do skip hire companies recycle?

It all depends on who you hire. At McCarthy Marland, we’re proud to achieve an average recycling rate of 95% across all our facilities, including waste from skips – and we’re constantly investing in better technologies and methods to increase that figure even further. 

Once you’ve finished with your skip, we’ll collect it and take it back to one of our recycling centres for processing. Using a combination of mechanical and manual sorting processes, we’ll recover as much waste as possible from your skip for recycling. Any waste that we cannot recycle is safely incinerated to recover electricity, and food waste is broken down to produce biogas in a process known as anaerobic digestion. 

What can you recycle in a skip?

So, we’ve explained how our skip recycling process works. But which types of waste can be recycled in a skip?

Our skips are suitable for a wide range of materials:

• Wood including broken furniture and pallets
• Metal such as pipes, wiring, cans, and scrap metal
• Cardboard & paper from packaging and office clear-outs
• Plastic including hard plastics like containers and pipes
• Garden waste such as branches, leaves, and soil
• Construction waste including bricks, rubble, concrete, and plasterboard
• Glass from pubs, bars, restaurants, and events

Read our skip hire FAQs for a full list of what can and can’t go in our skips.

How to maximise recycling when hiring a skip

Want to make sure you recycle as much waste as possible when hiring your skip? Here are a few ways you can boost your skip recycling rate:

1) Separate waste types wherever possible

Although we do sort materials at our transfer stations, pre-separating your waste on site can make the recycling process much more efficient and ensure that recyclable materials don’t get missed. If you’re generating a large amount of one material, like cardboard, metal, or green waste, then you might want to consider hiring multiple skips for different waste streams. 

2) Load your waste correctly

The way you fill your skip can make a big difference in how much waste is recycled. Start with flat, heavy items at the bottom, and then layer lighter or awkwardly shaped items on top. This not only maximises space, but also protects recyclable materials from being crushed or contaminated. Our blog on the best way to fill a skip offers practical advice to help you load your skip efficiently. 

3) Don’t overload your skip

Filling your skip beyond its capacity can cause collection issues and make it harder to recycle your waste. If you overload your skip or pack it unevenly, you could crush recyclable materials, making them difficult to recover. Always keep your waste level with the top of the skip, and distribute it evenly to ensure your waste can be transported safely back to the recycling centre.

4) Avoid contaminating recyclable materials

If you place food waste, liquids, or hazardous materials into your skip, this can prevent otherwise recyclable items from being processed correctly. These waste types can spoil entire loads, making it difficult or even impossible to separate materials and recycle them effectively. To get the most out of your skip and ensure that waste can be sorted properly, check out our ‘what can go in a skip’ guide before loading. 

Our skip hire services can help you recycle with confidence

Planning a clearout or construction project and want to dispose of your waste responsibly? Our skip hire services can help you do just that. When you hire one of our skips, you can rest assured that you’re helping to divert waste away from landfill and contribute to a more sustainable tomorrow.

We offer a wide range of skip sizes to suit every project, no matter how big or small. From 4-yard mini skips to large 40-yard roll-on roll-off containers, we can help you choose the right skip for the job and provide you with all the support you need to maximise your recycling efforts.

Book your skip hire today and get ready to recycle with confidence.