Skip licences - what you need to know

To site a skip on the road, pavement or verge outside your home you need to contact one of the skip operators who work within the city. There are currently around 30 skip operators who are registered with us who have the correct Public Liability Insurance and a valid Waste Carrier's Licence for you to choose from.  Alleyways need to be kept clear in case the emergency services need to access the rear of properties.  We only occasionally allow skips in alleyways as part of a 'wait and load' service, with the skip wagon and driver remaining with the skip until it is full.

Be safe

When your skip is delivered to you it should be sited according to current guidance from the relevant legislation. Typically a skip:

• would have two vertical reflective plates on the two small yellow ends of the skip facing traffic in both directions;
• would have the skip company's contact details;
• would have lights on each corner; and
• would not be blocking traffic or pedestrians.

Licences

As the highway authority, from 2 June 2008 we charge skip operators £20 to place a skip on the highway for a maximum period of up to one month. Operators who say they can only site a skip for a day and who do not comply with the above guidelines may not have a licence. From looking at the insurance documents of various skip companies, most insurance policies are not valid when a company does not have a licence.  This means that if anything did happen it would be difficult for you to make a claim against these companies.

Operators need to tell us at least three working days before placing a skip on the highway. This gives us time to give them a licence. Before issuing a licence, we check the site is suitable to safely place a skip. If a site is not suitable we will suggest a safe alternative.  Our decisions are always made with public safety in mind.

Removing a skip

Once your skip is full your skip company must remove it. Please contact them to let them know as soon as it is full.  Removing the skip promptly stops other people fly-tipping into it and over-filling your skip.

For more information about skip licences contact us and we will do all we can to help you.