Skips are widely used to dispose of items and materials you no longer need, but that shouldn’t act as an immediate invitation for someone else to help themselves!
A lot of people don’t mind if things are taken from their domestic skip, after all, this is the stuff they want to get rid of, for the most part. But that doesn’t make it right.
Removing something from someone else’s skip is technically a crime – though the laws and rules around this aren’t always clear.
At A&R Skips, we’ve been offering skip hire Wigan customers have been benefitting from for many years. So we like to think we know what it takes to deliver skips consistently.
On the hunt for cheap skip hire? Choose our reliable service that’s used by both domestic customers for personal waste disposal and those needing to dispose of commercial waste. Click the link above to learn more.
With this in mind, keep reading to find a few things you may want to know about taking things from a skip if it’s something you’ve seen happening a lot!
Removing items from a skip: Things to know
The rules on skip diving and theft
Skip diving may be a common practice in the UK. However, even if you spot a piece of treasure that’s another man’s trash, you shouldn’t take it for yourself.
Why? Because this action falls under the Theft Act 1968, which states that removing any items from someone’s property without their consent is illegal.
In other words, if someone has a skip on their property (driveway, front garden, etc.) and you cross over the property line to take something from that skip, you could be prosecuted.
Plus, despite the assumed intentions, putting something in a skip doesn’t necessarily mean someone wants to dispose of it permanently. They could simply be putting it there until another more suited space becomes available.
But what about commercial skip hire? Or the skip is placed outside of their property via a skip permit?
This is where things get tricky, but if you’re unsure, here are some good rules to follow…
- If a skip is placed beyond someone’s property limits with a skip permit, the items within it can still be considered the property of the homeowner/business, given the skip is still in use.
- They may also be considered the property of the skip hire service provider, given they’re the ones with permission to remove said items once a job is completed.
In either scenario, removing items from such a skip without permission from the relevant party constitutes theft.
The only instance where this may be acceptable is if the owner/renter of the skip advertises that items within the skip are “free to take”, though this is rare.
Safety concerns
Beyond legal worries, people generally shouldn’t remove items from a skip simply because it can be dangerous.
At first glance, you may spot something desirable in a skip and want to save it from being wasted. But there may be other more hazardous items hidden beneath, you never know.
Plus, should you seriously injure yourself while skip diving, your injuries would be of your own doing, not the doing of the skip owner/renter, so you can likely forget about receiving any kind of compensation.
How to make your skip safer from thieves
If you’re concerned about passers-by removing items from your skip, here are a few things you could do to keep them at bay:
- Make sure the skip is not placed in a well-lit area (under a lamppost, on a lit driveway, etc.).
- Cover the skip at night using a black tarp, making it easily missable.
- Keep the contents of the skip in bin bags to detract attention.
Looking for reliable Wigan skip hire? Choose the flexible service at A&R Skips
Now that you can deal with skip divers effectively, it’s time to explore the skips you need for your next big job – and there’s no better place to start than with A&R Skips.
We’ve been providing professional and affordable skip hire in Wigan and the surrounding areas for years, for domestic and commercial use, and have built a reputation as one of the most reliable skip hire providers around.
So if you have a construction project, garden project, or any kind of commercial or domestic job where skips will be required, we can help.
We can also assist in obtaining a skip permit, meaning you won’t need to speak to your local council.
To hire a skip online today, domestic and commercial customers can click the link. Or get in touch with a member of the team if you need advice on choosing the right size skip, or any other info on why our skip hire company is the right choice for you.
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