Greedy boards are one of the most common reasons a skip gets left behind. Every driver has seen it: a skip piled high with rubble, and a row of old doors or planks propped round the edges to hold the heap in place. It looks like a cheap way to get more in. In practice it means the skip cannot be collected.
What are greedy boards?
Greedy boards are boards, doors, pallets or sheets of ply stood upright around the sides of a skip. The idea is to raise the walls so more waste can be piled in, turning a small skip into a bigger one for the same price.
The problem is that a skip is only designed to be carried with waste level with its top edge. Anything above that line is not held in by the steel sides.
Why drivers will not take skips with greedy boards
The load is not secure. When the lorry lifts the skip, it swings and tilts. Waste held up by loose boards can slide off onto the driver, the lorry or the street. Once on the road, a sharp turn or a pothole can send bricks or timber onto the carriageway.
The driver would be breaking the law. Carrying an insecure load on a public road is an offence. Government guidance says the penalties for using a vehicle in a dangerous condition include an unlimited fine, penalty points and a driving ban. Where someone is hurt or killed, it can mean prison. No driver will take that risk.
The skip gets too heavy. Extra height means extra weight. With soil or rubble, an overfilled skip can easily go past what the lorry can lift safely.
The skip cannot be netted. Skips are covered with a net before they travel. A heap above the rim cannot be covered properly, and a net will not hold loose boards in place.
Councils ban greedy boards too
If your skip is on the road under a permit, the council’s conditions will almost always say it must be filled no higher than the top. Some councils name greedy boards directly. Preston City Council, for example, states: “No skip should be filled above the fill line. Greedy boards must not be used.”
What happens if your skip is overfilled?
The driver will ask you to take off the extra waste and remove the boards before they can lift the skip. If nobody is on site, they may have to leave it and come back. That can mean a wasted journey charge, a delay to your job and a skip sitting on your drive or the road for longer than planned. On a road permit hire, the delay can also push you past the permit end date.
Is your skip overfilled? A quick check
- Look along the top edge. If waste rises above the rim at any point, it is overfilled.
- Nothing leaning on the sides. No boards, doors, pallets or long items propped up round the edges.
- Long items lie flat. Timber, pipes and doors should lie flat inside, not stick out of the ends.
- Heavy waste sits low. Rubble and soil should stay well below the rim, because of the weight.
How to fit more in without greedy boards
Most skips go out with more space than people use. A bit of care when loading makes a real difference.
- Break things down. Take furniture apart and flatten cardboard boxes.
- Fill the gaps. Put flat items like boards and doors in first, along the bottom, then fill the spaces with smaller waste.
- Load in layers. Spread each load evenly instead of tipping everything into one corner.
- Keep it for you. Neighbours and passers by can fill your skip overnight. Covering it or choosing a lockable skip stops that.
When you need more space
If the skip is full and the job is not, the answer is an exchange or a bigger skip, not greedy boards. Call us and we will swap your full skip for an empty one. If you are not sure what size to book next time, our skip size guide will help.
A skip that is loaded properly is collected first time. One with greedy boards costs you time, money and a return visit.