(Without Overspending)
There are really only three things to sort out before you book a bin: (click to view)
Get those three right and you'll have the right bin, at the right price, in the right spot.
Get them wrong and you're either overpaying for empty space, or calling back for a second bin when the first one fills up.
The easiest way to think about skip bin volume is in trailers. A standard 6x4 trailer holds just under a cubic metre when heaped up. So a 3m³ bin is roughly three trailer loads, a 6m³ is six, and so on. Most people have a reasonable feel for trailers even if cubic metres mean nothing to them.
The other trick: walk through the job before you book. Think about the bulkiest items you'll be loading - mattresses, old sofas, a kitchen worth of cabinetry. Bulky things eat volume fast even if they're not heavy. Then add a buffer. We'd rather you have a bit of space left over than stare at a pile of rubbish next to a full bin.
Not sure where you land? Our skip bin sizes page breaks down every bin in the fleet with dimensions and typical uses.
If cubic metres still aren't clicking, try this. Most Sydney households have a 240L red bin for general waste (the wheelie bin that goes out every week). One of those is roughly 0.25m³, which means four red bins fill a 1m³ space.
As a rough guide: a 2m³ skip holds around 8 red bins worth of rubbish. A 4m³ holds about 16. A 6m³ holds around 25. If you have the smaller 120L red bins in your area, just double those numbers.
Walk through your job, count the red bins in your head, and pick the skip that comfortably covers it with a bit extra. If you're hovering between two sizes, size up. It's almost always cheaper than a second delivery.
In Australia, what you put in the bin is just as important as how much you put in. Different waste types cost different amounts to process at the licensed facility - which means the waste type directly affects the price you pay. Clean concrete is cheap to recycle. A bin full of mixed general waste mixed with clay and timber is expensive to sort.
Where you can separate waste on site, it's worth doing. It's not about being precious - it's about not paying heavy-waste rates for a bin full of light packaging.
The everyday catch-all. Household rubbish, furniture, light renovation debris, packaging, whitegoods (check with us on specific items), small amounts of timber and general trade offcuts. If you're not sure what category something falls into, general waste is usually the starting point.
For sites producing a mix of rubble and trade waste - broken concrete, tiles, plaster, timber, metal, and packaging all together. Priced per tonne because the weight varies significantly. Ideal when it's not practical to separate on site.
Bricks, concrete, terracotta tiles, pavers and unreinforced concrete - with nothing else mixed in. Cheaper because the material goes straight to recycling. Strict on contamination: no timber, no plastic, no plaster
Pure soil, dirt, clay and sand - no rocks, no timber, no rubble. Cheaper again because it's easily reused in civil works. Let us know at booking if your load is predominantly soil.
Lawn clippings, pruned branches, hedge trimmings, leaves and small tree offcuts. Goes to composting rather than landfill, so we price it accordingly.
Asbestos, food waste, liquids of any kind, paint, chemicals, gas bottles, car batteries, tyres, and hot ash. These require specialist handling - ring us and we'll point you to the right service. When in doubt, ask before you load.
Most bins go on a driveway, and most driveways work fine. But Sydney has a lot of narrow streets, terrace properties, low-hanging trees, overhead power lines and shared access situations - so it's worth having a think before you book.
The ideal spot. You'll need at least 3 metres of clear width for the truck to reverse in and set the bin down, and no overhead obstructions - trees, power lines, balconies or eaves - directly above where the bin will sit. The truck arm extends up during the drop, so clearance height matters as well as width.
Totally doable, but you'll need a council permit if the bin is going on public land. Most councils process permits within a few days to a week - some are faster than others, so let us know early if you think you'll need one. We can help with the paperwork.
Usually straightforward, but give us the details when you book - particularly for larger bins where the truck needs more room. Hook Lift trucks in particular need proper clearance, level ground and room to swing. We'll talk through the site access on the phone before we confirm.
Call us and describe it. We'd rather sort out the access question upfront than arrive and find it won't work. Nine times out of ten we can make it happen - and on the rare occasion we can't, we'll tell you before we load the truck.
The question we get more than any other. Here's the honest answer for the rooms people ask about most.
Old clothes, a broken bed frame, a few boxes of accumulated junk, an old mattress. A 2m³ or 3m³ bin is almost always enough. Mattresses eat volume, so if you've got more than one, bump up to the 3m³.
A standard bathroom - tiles, vanity, toilet, maybe a bath - fits comfortably into a 3m³ bin. Add an ensuite or a larger primary bathroom with stone benches and you're into 4m³ territory
Pulling up carpet, stripping wardrobes, tearing out cornices and dealing with plaster? You'll want a 3m³ to 4m³ bin. Plaster and timber pile up quicker than you'd expect, so the 4m³ is the safer bet.
Stripping an average kitchen - cabinetry, benchtops, splashbacks, old appliances plus all the packaging from the new stuff - usually produces two to four cubic metres of waste. A 4m³ is the sweet spot.
Bigger kitchens, removed walls and open-plan conversions throw up more waste than most people expect. A 6m³ is usually the right call. Builders regularly order this size for full kitchen rip-outs.
Depends what's in there. A moderately full garage - old furniture, boxes, broken appliances, garden gear - usually fits in a 4m³. A garage that's been accumulating for ten years is more likely a 6m³ job.
Six cubic metres is the starting point for a complete house clearance, and even that can feel tight if there's a lot of bulky furniture. If you're doing a proper whole-house cleanout - every room, shed included - book a 6m³ and tell us the scope on the phone. We'll let you know if we think you'll need more.
For more information, a quick quote, or just a chat about what size bin suits your job.
Sending ...