What happens to the rubbish that goes into my skip?

A skip is a convenient way of getting rid of a lot of waste when carrying out renovations or landscaping a garden, but have you ever wondered where it is taken, once it is removed from your home?

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Hiring a skip

Before you hire a waste disposal company to provide you with a skip, you’ll need to look at whether the company is approved by the local authority, as they apply for a skip licence on your behalf.

According to the Government’s website, skip hire companies are responsible for getting skip licences in most areas, although in some cases, you will need to do it yourself.

Where does it go?

The days of skip companies simply dumping all the rubbish you fill a bin with at a landfill site have long gone, and many now sort any waste they collect, in order to recycle as much as possible. They will separate waste into materials, such as wood, plastic or metal ready to be processed, with large bulky items removed.

Once the waste load has been tipped out and taken up to the sorting belt, any recyclable materials are picked out and dropped into designated bays. These recyclable materials are then baled up ready to be processed. They may be shredded and compacted before they are loaded into large containers to be transported to other plants, where the waste undergoes further treatment.

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Processing of materials

Green waste such as hedge cuttings and trees is sent to specialist facilities to be mixed with biodegradable material to form compost which can be reused in gardens. Any soil tipped in a skip is filtered for large objects and contaminates before being screened and taken to land reclamation schemes.

Building materials such as concrete, bricks and glass are sorted before being crushed. This can then be used as a sub-base for building projects. If you’re looking for Swansea skip hire, you might consider a licensed waste transfer specialist, such as http://pendragoncarmarthenshire.co.uk/, that has experience of dealing with large amounts of waste.

Scrap metal has a lot of value, which once recovered from a skip, is processed and exported to countries such as Brazil, India and China by a licensed scrap metal dealer. Old computers and other electrical goods can also be recycled.