When it comes to quickly and efficiently disposing of large quantities of waste on a construction or renovation site, conventional skips are an excellent choice. However, while hiring a skip and having it delivered is a relatively simple process, these large and bulky containers are not suitable for every building site, taking up excessive space on compact construction sites and requiring heavy trucks to transport and empty them.

As such, many building sites now use skip bags instead of traditional skip bins for their waste disposal needs, and these modern additions to the skip pantheon have a number of advantages over their more traditional cousins. However, skips bags also come with some inherent disadvantages, so make sure that bags will actually benefit your project site before you replace your bins.

What are the advantages of choosing skip bags over skip bins?

Easy to transport: Skip bags are made from tough, woven synthetic fibres, but while this material is enormously strong it it also extremely light. As such, skip bags can be transported easily and in large quantities when empty. The strong handles that come fitted to skip bags also make for easier transportation onto flatbeds or trailers once the bags are full.

Easy to store: When not in use, skip bags are easily collapsible, and a large quantity of folded skip bags can be safely stored in a very compact area. With no ferrous components to worry about, they are also immune to the rust that can plague conventional skips, allowing them to be left outdoors in inclement weather with no worries.

Do not require road permits: Because skip bags are so easily transported, they can generally be placed in an unobtrusive location while building work is carried out. As such, you will not have to worry about purchasing road permits to be able to leave your skip by the roadside, and any low fences or walls that may have barred access to a conventional skip can be easily bypassed.

Multistorey use: Skip bags are also much easier to use at heights than even small conventional skips, as their light weight and easy carry handles allows them to be transported between floors quite easily.

What about the disadvantages of choosing skip bags over skip bins?

Not suitable for all types of waste: While a skip bin is capable of carrying more or less anything you toss in there, you should take more care when disposing of materials in a skip bag. Broken glass and sharp metals should be avoided as they can cause nasty gashes and tearing, and loose fill materials such as sand can spill out of an overstuffed skip bag.

Vulnerable to heat: Skip bags can also melt if left in close proximity to intense heat sources, such as heavy vehicle exhausts and waste incinerators. Hot ashes and other hot waste materials should not be placed in them.

Limited capacity: While the largest skip bags available can be used to dispose of huge amounts of waste material, they still do not rival the capacity of the largest conventional skips. As such, large building sites may prefer to stick to conventional skips.