A common mistake people make is throwing any and all waste into their skip as soon as it shows up. It might be satisfying to throw out everything you can get your hands on, but take some time to think about what’s going into the skip and the best way to approach disposal. The overriding tip that you should always keep in mind is: think before you load. But what exactly should you be thinking about?

It probably seems natural to fill the bottom of the skip with heavier items first, but is a much more wasteful approach. What you should do is focus on throwing out larger, lighter items first, so they can be compounded later on by heavier objects. You’ll find that, as you fill your skip, the heavier items will free up more space as you go, pressing the lighter waste further to the base of the skip, which means less wasted space throughout.

Any larger items that can be broken up, dismantled and flattened should be done so before being thrown out. Making items more compact means they take up less room from the get go, leaving fewer pockets of space in your skip, and allows them to fit more conveniently with all your other waste. This goes for things like boxes, wardrobes and fixtures and fittings, so remember to think before you load.