Thinking of de-cluttering your home? Maybe you’re going to do a big spring clean this year? Either way, it is always surprising how much stuff you can accumulate over the year that you just don’t need anymore. When you do decide to do the big clean, it might be worth considering hiring a skip to take away any unnecessary stress of how to dispose of your things. Well, before you pick up the phone to get rid of that pesky clutter/rubbish, it’s worth knowing what you actually can and can’t put in a skip. Now that we are a nation trying to become more eco-friendly there are a few things worth knowing when it comes to skip hire. It’s fantastic that recycling has become something that the majority of us do now without really thinking about it. Whether it is simply separating our paper from our plastics or adding waste to the compost heap, it all helps to make the world greener. 

There was a time when you were able to hire a skip and throw whatever you want inside, regardless of what it was, but thankfully this has now changed. It was easier back then, we know, but knowing how much better for the environment this is makes it easier to accept.

First things first, you need to know what kind of skip you wish to hire, not just the size but the type. For example, you may wish to hire a plastic skip or a wood skip as you wouldn’t be able to combine these two different materials. Depending on what type of material you are getting rid would also affect the price of hire. This is because certain things are cheaper to recycle than others. Some of the cheapest to recycle being paper and plastic.

If you are lucky you may have some scrap metal you need getting rid of. If that’s the case then, as metal has value, the price of this would actually come out of the skip hire cost, depending on how much you have depends on how profitable you could be. Maybe it’s worth just double checking the back garden again?

Although skip’s can, of course, take the majority of items away for you, there are a few things that are unfortunately prohibited –

• Fridges
• Microwaves
• Solvents
• Television
• Toasters
• Telephones
• Tyres
• Vehicle and household batteries
• Electrical equipment such as electric cookers
• Asbestos
• Compressed Gas Cylinders
• Explosives
• Medical Waste
• Oils
• Chemicals
• Paint Tins

If after reading this you are still a little unsure on what kind of skip you need then please remember you can always give us a call. Our highly trained and friendly team are always happy to answer any questions you might have.

Please feel free to contact us on 1890 40 10 20 or alternatively by clicking here.

Before hiring a skip you need to be realistic in your calculations, it is important to know how to get the best out of it so you don’t have to hire another one and incur extra charges. Make sure that you get one that is big enough to rid you of your intended waste with room for extra space just in case.

The first thing to remember is to segregate your waste. The mistake most people make is to just add on anything and everything, the trick is to pile everything up in layers. First debris, start by filling the skip with lighter and smaller debris as this helps compact the smaller items once you start adding bigger and heavier items in. Bulky items should also be broken down into smaller parts if possible; this allows you to get the most out of the space available.

Lastly, make sure that you do not over-fill the skip, doing so might cause health and safety concerns like endangering road users or yourself during transportation. If you skip is overfilled you run the risk of the driver not collecting it until it has been reorganised, if this happens you might be required to pay additional charges and it will also waste your time.

It is also worth remembering that if you have a range of different materials to throw away you might need to arrange for a skip that allows for mixed materials.

Some safety tips to remember – Keep kids and pets away from the skip area, keep a clear path to the skip to avoid tripping over while moving around, do not try to lift heavy objects alone and lastly you should protect yourself from the dust that might arise from the skip with any type of dust mask.

If you’d like to find out more about our waste management services,  please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Call us on 1890 401020 or fill out our online contact form right here! We look forward to hearing from you.

With the world having limited space to offer up for landfill sites, recycling and composting have become more and more popular in the modern day. Why? Because they reduce the volume of rubbish that need disposal in these landfill sites, and save you money by producing rich soil that you can use on your own garden.

What is composting?

Composting is a natural process of recycling decomposed organic material, turning it into rich soil (compost) which can be particularly handy for any keen gardeners out there.

Not only can we do it ourselves from the comfort of our back garden, but this way, the composting process will be accelerated, bringing you nutrient-rich soil for your garden and your plants in far quicker time.

What should you compost?

So, what do you put in your compost pile to make compost? What is this ‘organic material’ we speak of? Well, it’s all that garden waste like leaves, weeds, and grass clippings, as well as certain scraps and waste from your kitchen too. Fruit and vegetable scraps and peel, coffee grounds, teabags and egg shells can all be composted, for example.

With that long list, it may come as no surprise to learn that garden and food waste make up a significant amount of what we throw away as a population. This is why it doesn’t make sense for us to use up resources to get rid of it all, when we simply don’t need to!

What is surprising is just how useful these old scraps and leftovers can be to you, as well as the environment. If you get your compost right – by putting in the good stuff and avoiding the bad – you can get a finished product of dark-brown crumbly soil that your garden and plants will thrive off.

How to make your own compost heap

Have we convinced you? We thought we might, so we’re going to go through how you can make your own compost heap to help you on your way to saving the environment bit by bit!

• First up, buy a compost bin or build one yourself. Try and make sure that your compost pile will be enclosed to keep away any critters and hold the heat and moisture in, as well as look neat and tidy in your garden too.
• If you live in a city or urban area, it will be necessary for you to have secure flooring and covering beneath it and on top of it, as well as no wide openings.
• Set up your bin in shaded area that is convenient to you, and somewhere with good drainage to improve the quality of the compost.
• For the best quality finished product, you want to make sure your compost has a good balance of ‘green’ and ‘brown’ materials, and give it a good airing. One top tip to keep your compost healthy is to layer it, and add scrunched up pieces of cardboard to create air pockets.
• You’ll know your compost is ready when you have a dark-brown, almost black, soil that has a sponge-like texture. This shows it is rich in nutrients, and ready to spread over your flowerbeds!

It never feels right just putting them in the bin, does it? And that’s because it’s not right. There are plenty of other things that you should be doing with your unwanted or broken electronics, and none of them involve the average kitchen bin.

Why you should never throw it away

By chucking your old iPhone in the bin or leaving your old plasma TV next to your rubbish bins may be the quickest way to get the unwanted electronics out of your house, but it’s not exactly environment-friendly. Electronics like these are usually made up of heavy metals, along with wires and cables that generally should not find its way into your rubbish bin.

The contents of that rubbish bin is taken to a landfill site; a place where heavy metals and wires are not welcome. Not only are electronics like these taking up unnecessary space in landfill sites, but they can also be toxic to the environment as they are exposed to the air, soil and drinking water. This can be dangerous to both human and animal health.

By getting rid of unwanted electronics properly, you can avoid any health issues, as well as help to conserve natural resources, energy, and money.

So, what should you do with those unwanted or broken electronics instead?

What to do instead

Donate: Just because it’s not the latest version of Android phone or piece of technology doesn’t mean that it isn’t useful anymore. Donate your old tech to charity or to those that are in need and can’t afford their own versions. For example, Get Well Games is a charity that takes donated video games and consoles to hospitals across the UK.

Repair: If the electronic goods in question are broken, why not get them repaired? Even if you aren’t interested in having them fixed for yourself, getting them in working order could make a difference to someone else. Giving your old tech new owners means you can make sure things don’t go to waste.

Sell: If your tech is in reasonably good condition or if you’ve looked into getting it repaired, why not sell it on? Websites like eBay are great for selling on second-hand goods, especially items like old phones and televisions. It’s a responsible way of getting rid of your old electronics, and will make you a bit of money too.

Recycle: There are a number of companies and places which can help you to get rid of your old technology in the best way possible. Don’t forget to erase your data before recycling anything to avoid any security issues.

Recycle with A Plus Skips

At A Plus, we offer a full waste management service, including the disposal of electrical and electronic equipment that you no longer want. Whether that is because the items are broken or just not used anymore, our service will make sure that they are disposed of properly and responsibly, and in a way that is best for the environment.

If you’d like to find out more about this service, or any of our other waste management services, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Call us on 1890 401020 or fill out our online contact form right here! We look forward to hearing from you.

Do you know what types of household waste are hazardous? You might be handling items which could potentially harm your health or the environment without realising.

It is highly important that hazardous items are disposed of correctly to prevent this, so below we outline things to consider when disposing of hazardous household waste.

Examples of potentially hazardous waste items include:

-          Asbestos

-          Pesticides

-          Oils

-          Some paints

-          Heavy duty household cleaning products

-          Some household and car batteries

-          Old electrical equipment e.g. fridges, computer monitors

All of these items might be deemed hazardous and potentially damaging to humans and/or the environment if disposed of incorrectly. They should never be disposed of by placing in your normal rubbish bin or by tipping down the drain.

But what if safe disposal is more of a hassle than just throwing something in the bin?

Responsible waste disposal is hugely important, especially in the face of growing populations and therefore increasing volumes of waste.

Incorrect disposal of certain items can risk of exposure to cancer-causing waste such as asbestos, of to toxic gas released by old fridges, or even explosion of disintegrating car batteries.

Chemical waste can cause soil contamination, and harmful substances might get into our water system or crops which are then sold as food.

Not only this, but the release of harmful household chemicals into the water table poses serious dangers to vulnerable ecosystems.

It is, therefore, vital that you make yourself aware of how to dispose of potentially harmful household items responsibly.

Things to consider what disposing of hazardous waste responsibly:

1. Reduce the volume of waste:

The first thing you can do is minimise the waste you are generating. For potentially harmful products such as paints and oils, try and use as much of the product as possible before disposing of the container.

If you are finished with the product, ask a friend or neighbour if they might need it.

This is a small thing we can do regarding everything we use in order to reduce the volume of waste we generate overall.

2. Read the label:

It is always important to read the label of items to see what information is given regarding the hazardous nature of a product, and what the manufacturer recommends for its safe disposal.

3. What form does the hazard take- chemical or physical?

Can it irritate or burn the skin? Is it flammable? Is it used outside/inside? Does it require protective clothing?

The type of hazard is also important to consider when deciding how to dispose of an item, as it will often determine what method is best and how vigilant you should be.

For example, household electrics need to be carefully dismantled ensuring that they chemical components do not pose any danger at their site of disposal; and asbestos usually needs to be placed in a landfill site specifically used for hazardous waste, of placed in a separate self-contained cell within ordinary landfill sites.

Items might not pose obvious harm to an individual, but it could cause damage to ecosystems and natural environments, and even pollute valuable water supplies if disposed of incorrectly. Liquid items are particularly relevant here e.g. emulsion paint and garden pesticides.

4. Hazardous waste management solutions:

Some types of hazardous household waste will require assistance from professional services e.g. asbestos, as their potential to cause harm is too great for DIY disposal centres.

Skip hire companies such as ours can provide complete services, including dropping off and picking up skips for you to use, providing expert advice on what should be put in skips, what might need to be recycled elsewhere, and how items could be better re-used rather than just disposed of.

Professional waste management services are committed to responsible disposal of hazardous waste to keep it out of open landfill sites, prevent it from harming the environment and turning waste back into a usable product where possible.

Whether you’re dealing with children’s toys, furniture, living room décor, or all of the above, the things you want to get rid of can really add up, and whilst some of it could be reused, you’re likely to discover a lot of unnecessary clutter too.

There’s no point in moving those kinds of things from your old home to your new home, which is why moving home is the perfect time to have a huge clear out. Not to mention the waste that moving home leaves; all those boxes, all that newspaper.

So, how can you tackle that waste when moving home? We’ve put together some of our top tips.

Don’t pack things you haven’t used for years

This can be seen as an obvious start, however, you’d be surprised at how many of you can’t bring themselves to throw away things – even if they haven’t used them (or seen them!) for years. There’s always some kind of excuse, isn’t there?

“Oh, you never know when this will come in handy”. “Oh, this might be useful for so and so when they move house next year”. “Oh, what are a few more years of putting it in the attic going to do?”

Stop! This is unnecessary packing and space that’s filling up the removal van and your new home. Do something useful with them like taking it them to a charity shop or selling them. Or if you know that they’re unlikely to be bought or usable, get rid of them – in the most efficient way possible.

Hire a skip

As we’ve just mentioned, you are bound to find possessions that aren’t suited to finding a new home. But don’t just dump it and expect your usual bin men to collect it – chucking your old sofa on the street outside your house isn’t going to get you anywhere.

This is where we come in. At A Plus Skips, we have a range of mini skips to hire which are perfect for individuals and families that are moving house and find a lot of needless junk that they can’t do anything with.

We take care of the waste for you, making sure all that can be recycled is recycled in our mission to reduce landfill sites, as well as the complexities and the costs that come with it. As one of the cheapest skip hires in Dublin, we’re good for your wallet as well as the environment!

Don’t buy new removal boxes

So many boxes are thrown away every day which is not only a huge waste of money, but also a huge waste of materials. If you know of anyone that has recently moved house, they’ll be sure to have some boxes left over for you to use or borrow. If not, ask around at your local supermarkets if they have any boxes that they’re looking to throw out any.

The same goes for you once you have moved out and you’re done with the boxes. Pass them on! Don’t just throw them out. It’s environmentally-friendly and helping out a neighbour, whereas there’s little to gain from chucking them in the bin.

Use suitcases

You could even use your suitcases and drawers to pack up your things and take them to your new home. You don’t need to empty out your chest of drawers into a cardboard box. You can just make the most of the space in the furniture, those suitcases and the bags you’ll be packing anyway. It’s killing two birds with one stone.

Reuse newspaper

When the months and weeks are coming closer to your big move day, start thinking about keeping hold of the newspapers and magazines you’ve already read. This will save you on buying out your local newsagents’ selection of papers in a mad panic when you start packing up your stuff.

Newspaper is the cheap and practical solution for wrapping china and ornaments, amongst other more delicate things that you own and want to protect on the journey to your new home. Plus, once you’ve made the most of your newspaper, it’s easy to dispose of efficiently.

Simply recycle it by using your local collection, or even use it in other ways. One way to get that log burner going in your new home perhaps?

Reuse textiles

If you’re not an avid reader of newspapers or magazines, there are plenty other resources that you can use to protect your plates, mugs, and precious ornaments. That bedding you’re packing? That could make a great protector for those delicate items too. Same with all the towels and other bed sheets you’ve got.

This can work as a replacement for newspaper packaging, or accompany it nicely. It will save you a lot of money on bubble wrap, and will significantly reduce the amount of waste you have to deal with after the big move.

The more details you manage to remember or note down, the more likely the fly-tippers are to be caught. This means descriptions of their appearance and the make, colour and registration number of their vehicle is extremely valuable information.

Remember, the Environment Agency has the power to seize and dispose of any vehicles that are used for fly-tipping. Vehicles suspected can be stopped, searched and seized on the spot by local authorities. This means any information you have – even if you did not see the driver or those that participated in the act – can make a difference.

Report it

Don’t just put up with dumped rubbish – it is illegal and those who do it should be prosecuted. To report any act of fly-tipping, you should go directly to your local council or Environment Agency.

The council will be able to clear fly-tipping waste from any public or council-owned land and catch the offenders. Clearing fly-tipping from private land is the responsibility of the landowner, so it is important that you make your land as secure as possible to avoid any penalties against you.

How to dispose of waste properly

There are a number of ways that you can dispose of waste properly and efficiently, including:

• Recycling
• Composting
• General waste collection
• Waste disposal sites

At A Plus Skips, we provide a full waste management service for both commercial and domestic customers, offering a range of disposal services – from mini skip hire in Dublin to contracted waste collection and recycling.

Our skips come in a range of sizes – all at a reasonable price – and are ideal for the times a clear-out job is too big for your regular-sized bins or includes larger items.

If you’d like to hear more about our services, please don’t hesitate to get in touch!

Images taken from geograph.org.uk

Looking around, you are guaranteed to spot something – in fact, a lot of things – that are run by batteries. We’re not just talking about the cylindrical types you put in your remote control, but the numerous others too.

Why you should recycle

Rechargeable and disposable batteries are made from important resources and chemicals, including lead, nickel, zinc and mercury, and it’s because of these materials that all batteries should be recycled.

By putting your used batteries in the rubbish bin, they will be sent to where all the other rubbish is taken: incinerators or landfill sites. However, batteries aren’t like every other piece of rubbish because of what they are made of.

Once the battery case corrodes, there is a risk that the battery’s chemicals will seep into the ground or be released into the air which will add to water, air and soil pollution.

Getting rid of your batteries

When you recycle your batteries efficiently, you are allowing them to be taken apart so its materials can be recovered and re-used to create new batteries or something else.

Recycling and re-using are the most environmentally-friendly way to fuel our earth’s needs – we save so much energy by doing so, as well as so many natural resources. Not to mention the fact that recycling properly will save a lot of space in landfill sites, reducing the need for more land to be taken up with them.

This means that by simply recycling your batteries, you can make a real difference. By keeping unwanted batteries aside for your household collection service or by taking them to a collection point, you are helping to reduce waste and pollution around us.

You can make the difference, and it doesn’t take much!

By the time many of us get round to actually recycling our old phones, we assume they’re obsolete and worthless, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Afterall, if your old phones had no value, then why do you think there’s such a high demand from charities and businesses?

Refurbishment

The truth is that most old mobile phones can easily be refurbished. It’s estimated that only 3-4% of old handsets are beyond economic repair (BER).

When your old phone arrives at a recycling centre, it first goes through a set of rigorous tests, starting by checking its IMEI number in the Central Equipment Identity Centre (CEIR) database to check it hasn’t been stolen or lost.

After that, the components of your old phone such as the keypad are tested. Usually phones are then transported to specialist repair centres.

Recycling BER phones

Even if your handset is Beyond Economic Repair, it’s still valuable. All handsets contain various quantities of metals, including platinum, copper, gold and silver that often end up as jewellery. Your old phone’s batteries contain nickel, which is regularly combined with stainless steel to make saucepans.

The plastic of your old phone is then melted down to create other products, including plastic sheeting and traffic cones. There are companies in the UK that carry out this work, as well as specialists in Sweden and France that operate a zero landfill policy, ensuring that all the parts of your old phone is put to good use.

New horizons

Out of all the phones that can be reused, only 20% stay in the UK. If you’ve ever received a replacement phone through your insurance policy after losing or having your phone stolen, the chances are you received a refurbished phone.

The other 80% of phones get sent to emerging markets all over the globe to places like Asia, Africa and Russia, where landlines are few in number.

Not everyone agrees with refurbishment

Despite all the positive consequences from refurbishing and recycling phones, some people in the phone industry aren’t happy. Sony Ericsson’s Head of Sustainability maintains that the company isn’t in the business of refurbishment. He argues that there are several unresolved issues in the area as the refurbishment industry has continued to grow over the last decade:

• Some companies don’t take the appropriate care in relation to the risks of batteries and chargers.
• A poor user experience occurs if a company decides to use non-approved parts, brands or illegal software as part of the refurbishment.

The green benefits of recycling and refurbishment

Phone companies such as Motorola and Nokia provide their customers with take-back services everywhere in the world, including South America and Africa.

Even though Greenpeace has ranked Nokia as the greenest global electronic company, it still only recycles between 3 and 5% of its handsets. Presumably the others are either in drawers or landfill sites, leaking toxic waste into the ground.

Whilst it’s great that repair and refurbishment extend the lives of phones and see them being used three or four times by various people around the world, the next step is creating a global take-back process to avoid phones ultimately ending up on the landfill.

Where should we go next?

As consumers, it’s really up to us to ensure the recycling figure is increased. One way to do this and make some money at the same time is to keep your oldest handset as your spare and sell on your newer ‘spare phones’ for a decent amount, or donate them to charity.

Since The Recycling Factory launched in 2005, for example, they’ve managed to raise over £232,940 for the RSPCA.

There are dozens of charities that benefit from the donation of old phones, so you’re sure to find one that you want to support in such a way. You could even start your own appeal for a charity through collecting old phones and empty printer cartridges.

The unthinkable option

However, there is one alternative that offers the greenest path, but will be unthinkable to many of us, and that’s to keep our phone for longer than the standard 12 months. Contrary to popular belief, most phones work fine when they’re over a year old, and only really need replacing when they stop working. Items such as jeans and leather jackets only increase in character with age, and there’s no reason phones shouldn’t do the same.

The family present cupboard

This cupboard will save you time, effort and money. If you don’t have a present cupboard, simply clear some room at the back of your wardrobe and make sure your kids can’t get to it. Not only is it a place to keep unwanted gifts, but it becomes a great resource for last minute presents.

If you’re going to re-gift your unwanted presents, however, you will have to be aware of the serious potential problem of giving someone the gift they gave you. You should also ensure that any gifts you pass on aren’t personalised in any way.

Sell your gifts on

Another option you have is to list your unwanted presents online, although sites such as eBay become full of listings of similar bad presents, so don’t expect to make too much money on them.

Donate your gifts

Donating your gifts to a community or school raffle, or donating them to a charity shop is a far more honourable way to  get rid of unwanted gifts. You won’t make any money from it, but you’ll be helping a good cause and in the case of donating them to a charity shop, you can at least feel warm at the fact that the person who does buy your unwanted gifts will love and cherish them.

Take the gift back to the shop

If the gift-giver has included a gift receipt, you can always return the gift to the shop from where it was bought. If you have no such receipt, some stores will offer a credit note around this time of year. Unfortunately, you will most likely need a receipt to return it, and if you don’t have it you’d need to admit that you didn’t like the present.

Accept the gift

Of course, the last option is to quietly accept and use the gift you were given. Whilst you may hate the celebrity-endorsed, cheap perfume or ugly Christmas sweater, someone has thought enough of you to buy you something at this expensive time of year. Seeing them happy as you use or wear their gift will always more than make up for the fact that you have a slightly undersized Primark onesie you’ll never wear again.