For a clear-out in St Helens, the choice is usually between a skip that sits outside for a week and a man and van that loads up and leaves the same day. A skip suits a long job you work through at your own pace, especially heavy rubble. A man and van suits a one-day clear-out, the sofas and electricals a skip will not take, and streets where there is nowhere to put a skip.
Skip Sizes and 2026 Prices
These are typical one-week hire prices from Trade2Base's UK guide, published 8 June 2026. They include delivery and collection but not VAT, which adds 20%.
| Skip size | Typical price, one week, excluding VAT |
|---|---|
| Mini, 2 cubic yards (about 25 to 30 bin bags) | £80 to £150 |
| Midi, 4 cubic yards | £120 to £200 |
| Builder's, 6 cubic yards | £150 to £280 |
| Large, 8 cubic yards | £200 to £350 |
| Maxi, 10 to 12 cubic yards | £280 to £450 |
Extra weeks typically cost £20 to £60 for smaller skips and £50 to £150 for larger ones, and a road permit is on top if the skip cannot go on your drive.
The St Helens Skip Permit
A skip on the road needs a licence from the council. A St Helens skip permit costs £25 for seven days, and £25 for each further seven days. Only the skip company can apply, so residents cannot get one themselves. A skip on your own driveway is off the public road and generally does not need one.
The permit comes with conditions that rule out a lot of St Helens streets.
- The skip can be no bigger than 5 metres by 2 metres and must sit close to the kerb, clear of drains and manholes.
- It must be at least 15 metres from a road junction.
- It needs cones, warning signs and lamps lit all night.
- Skips in the town centre must be lockable or collected at the end of the working day.
- A full skip has to be taken away within one working day.
On a terraced street with cars parked nose to tail, or a house near a corner, there may simply be nowhere legal to put one.
No Skips on the Road Overnight Before Bonfire Night
St Helens skip permits ban skips from the road between 6pm and 6am from 29 October to 8 November, because of the risk of fires in the run-up to Bonfire Night.
If your clear-out falls in that window, a road skip has to be collected each evening or wait until after 8 November. A man and van collection, which takes everything away in one visit, is not affected.
What a Skip Will Not Take
Skip companies refuse anything that needs separate handling. The exact list varies, but these are typically excluded.
- Fridges, freezers, TVs and other electrical items.
- Sofas, armchairs and other upholstered seating, which under the government guidance on seating containing POPs must be incinerated, not landfilled, and kept out of mixed waste.
- Gas bottles, fire extinguishers and other pressurised containers.
- Paint, oil, solvents, fuel and other liquids.
- Batteries, tyres and asbestos.
- Plasterboard mixed in with other waste.
Mattresses vary. Some skip companies accept them, others charge extra or refuse them. Many clear-outs include a sofa or a fridge, which is where a skip on its own stops working.
Skip Bags
Skip bags are sold by builders' merchants and DIY stores, and the collection is booked and paid for separately. They need no road permit if they stay on your property and suit a slow trickle of garden or building waste. The same exclusions apply, and the bag needs to be somewhere the collection lorry can reach.
Which Option Fits Your Clear-Out
| Situation | Usually the better choice |
|---|---|
| A few large items you can get to the kerb | The council bulky waste collection |
| Your own rubbish and your own car or van | A trip to the council tip, booked if you use a van |
| A whole house or garage cleared in one day | A man and van collection |
| Sofas, fridges and electricals in the load | A man and van collection |
| No room for a skip, or within 15 metres of a junction | A man and van collection |
| Rubble and building waste over several weeks | A skip |
If you have a van and it is your own household rubbish, the tip van booking rules apply. For everything else, a man and van rubbish collection loads from inside the house, takes the items a skip refuses, and is priced on the space the load takes up, so you are not paying for a skip you only half fill.
Facts and charges in this guide were checked against the sources linked above on 20 October 2026. Council charges and rules change, so check the linked page before you rely on a figure. More St Helens moving and clearance guides.