Skip Bin Hire or Rubbish Removal Company, the Pros and Cons?

When people think of getting rid of unwanted items from in and around their house, most think of getting a skip bin. However, there is another alternative which requires next to zero work on your behalf and perhaps even more importantly is CHEAPER!

50% of households and 100% of units aren’t able to have a skip bin delivered on their property due to lack of space or access issues. This means that the skip bins must be placed on the nature strip, which thanks to our local councils requires a permit.

I thought it would be an interesting exercise if I gave it a go myself. So I called our local council.
I was frustrated right from the start. Firstly, I had trouble finding the number. There’s no direct number on the website!
I then googled another council and they had a contact number way down in the bottom recess of the contact page. After listening to all the prompts, being put on hold twice and explaining the same situation more than once, sound familiar? I had already been on the phone for more than 10 minutes!

Finally, after a 15 minute phone call, I got the information that I was after:
In order to get a permit for a skip bin to be placed on the nature strip outside your home or unit, you need to ensure that whichever company is delivering the skip bin has the exact wording of “(your local council) is an interested party” emblazoned on their certificate of currency. If they don’t have this and someone is injured, then you will be liable.

This meant that I would have to contact the skip bin provider and ensure that their certificate of currency satisfied council requirements. Another email adds to more rigmarole, and with over 120 councils in NSW alone, checking to make sure your local councils wording has been mentioned is a must!

Council Permits are not Free

A fee of $102 payable to the local council at least TEN DAYS!!! prior to intended day of skip bin delivery was required. And yes, you are required to fill out another form.
Generally, the tedious task of clearing up unwanted things from in and around the house is not something you plan ten days in advance. In my experience, a bit of mid-morning / pre-lunch motivation and you find yourself cleaning up a section of the garage and or yard. Job Well done!! You feel a sense of satisfaction!! Until you bring your attention to the pile of junk that is invariably the result of every clean-up. You want this pile gone ASAP! Not sitting in the driveway or garage for the next two to three weeks!!

Before you have even organised the skip bin delivery you have been on the phone for a considerable amount of time, emailed, filled out forms, scanned and attached forms and paid $102 to your local council. All this has become more frustrating than the clean up you have in most cases already done!

Calling all skip bin companies

It was time to call some skip bin companies and get some quotes. I was shocked!! Price for the smallest bin was $270! (inc gst) This was for a (2.5m3 bin). That’s $108 / cubic meter! That’s quite a lot!
Remember i’m already out of pocket after paying the council so in total I’m up for $378 and that’s for the smallest bin. If I can’t fit all my rubbish into a 2.5m3 bin, then I’m going to have to get another bin delivered and I know that the minimum is $270!!
If you have a few extra bits of rubbish that won’t fit into the already overloaded 2.5m3 bin you are going to have to pay a grand total of $648!! God I hope I don’t have to call the council again and get another permit!!

Time and effort

The Rubbish removal can be quite a labour-intensive task, and since you need to know about cubic meters (a very ambiguous unit when gauging a pile of rubbish) you want to “squeeze” as much as you can into your 2.5 cubic meter skip. I’ve seen folks order a skip bin and nearly fill it with the first couple of items they have thrown into it! Skip bin providers are delighted when you do this. The lighter the bin, the the less they pay when transporting your rubbish to the tip.
Generally, people that order a skip bin for household and or demolition rubbish fail to compact as much rubbish into the bin as they’d hoped, this leaves the customer feeling ripped off!

Common complaints

These days it is common practice to read online reviews and this gives the consumer more control over where and how they spend their hard-earned cash!
A quick read of the numerous google reviews for rubbish removal companies that specialize in skip bin delivery shows a list of single star complaints leading to a horde of disgruntled customers.
Here are some examples I found when I did a simple search!

Unprofessional service, bins not delivered on time, bins left in the driveway or on the nature strip for weeks! The worst was a review where a whole driveway was blocked with the owners having to park out on the street, carrying shopping bags, pushing prams and squeezing past a big metal eyesore every day!

The Alternative is better, cheaper and less hassle

Consider hiring the services of a rubbish removal company that arrive in a truck with two fit and strong blokes. They do all the work, lugging and loading, breaking everything down and don’t mind getting their hands dirty! You don’t have to do anything except point to what is rubbish and what isn’t. the team at take your rubbish Sydney are the fastest and most efficient by far and know the best way to compact the rubbish which is the best way to saving you money. They have their own insurance which gives you peace of mind and most jobs can be done on the same day that you call!!