A sourced, dated snapshot of what skip hire actually costs across the UK — compiled from published industry data, not guessed.
Compiled: September 2026 · Updated October 2026 · Compiled by the Skip Hire Calculator team
This is a compilation of publicly published rates and industry survey data from named UK skip hire suppliers and industry sources, cross-referenced for consistency and listed in full at the bottom of this page with links and access dates. It is not a large-scale phone survey we've conducted ourselves — where a genuine large-sample survey exists (such as the annual city-by-city survey referenced below), we cite it directly and label it as such, rather than presenting someone else's fieldwork as our own.
Published rates vary by supplier, waste type and exact location, even within the same city, so we show ranges rather than a single average. Sources also differ in what they include: most don't say whether their prices include VAT, and some don't state the hire period or whether permits are included. The only dataset below with an explicit VAT basis is AnyJunk's city survey, which includes 20% VAT and excludes permits. Treat the national ranges as an indicative envelope across sources — not a like-for-like average, and not a quote.
Landfill Tax (checked October 2026): HMRC's standard rate is £130.75 per tonne from 1 April 2026, up from £126.15 in 2025–26 and £103.70 in 2024–25 — about 26% higher than two years earlier. The lower rate, which applies to inert or inactive waste such as certain rubble and soil, rose from £4.05 to £8.65 per tonne. The tax is charged by weight on waste sent to landfill, so it bites hardest on waste that can't be recycled or recovered. It isn't a per-skip charge: skip prices also reflect fuel, labour, transport and the gate fees at transfer and recycling sites. HMRC's rates apply in England and Northern Ireland; Scotland and Wales run their own landfill taxes. Source: HMRC Landfill Tax rates.
Indicative envelope across the sources listed below. Sources differ on VAT, permits and hire period, so these are not like-for-like averages or quotes.
The city figures below come from a survey published by AnyJunk, a commercial waste-collection company, in March 2022. AnyJunk says it surveys around 500 UK skip hire companies each year and asks what they charge one-off customers; its published averages cover larger cities and popular search areas for 6- and 8-yard skips (general mixed waste, including 20% VAT, excluding permits). It's the only large city-by-city dataset we found, but its methodology is only briefly described and it is over four years old, so treat it as a historical guide to relative differences, not as current prices. We'll update this section if a more recent survey is published.
AnyJunk put the 2022 UK average at £275 for a 6-yard skip and £305 for an 8-yard skip. It named Edinburgh, Leeds, Northampton and York as the cheapest cities and Luton, Bournemouth, Exeter and Southampton as the most expensive — a spread of about £115 on a 6-yard skip (Leeds £175 to Southampton £290) and £130 on an 8-yard skip (Northampton £210 to Southampton £340). London is unclear from this source: its table shows London (£270 and £295) slightly below the national average, while its text calls London around 10% above it, and other published guides report higher London prices. AnyJunk attributes regional differences to local disposal costs, the strength of the local economy, competition, council bulky-waste services, labour and property costs, and congestion.
AnyJunk, "Average Skip Hire Prices 2022" (city-by-city survey of ~500 UK skip hire companies) — re-checked October 2026.
R Collard, "How Much Do Skips Cost?" (2025 published rate ranges by size) — re-checked October 2026.
ISM Waste, "Skip Hire Guide UK" (national averages and landfill tax context) — accessed September 2026.
Book A Builder UK, "Skip Hire Costs" (2026 published size breakdown) — accessed September 2026.
HMRC, "Landfill Tax rates" (2024–2026 standard and lower rates) — checked October 2026.
October 2026: updated Landfill Tax to HMRC's 2026–27 rates (the page previously showed the 2025–26 rate); corrected our summary of the AnyJunk survey, where we had misstated the most and least expensive cities and the price spread; and clarified that VAT treatment differs between sources. Landfill Tax rates source: HMRC.
These are secondary sources, not our own primary data collection. Where sources disagreed, we used the fuller range rather than picking a favourite. If you run a skip hire company and want to contribute verified current rates to make this index more accurate, get in touch.
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