Guide
What can and cannot go in a skip bin
Updated Sep 22, 2026
In short
General waste, furniture, renovation debris, rubble, wood, metal, cardboard, plastics, garden waste and soil all go straight into a skip bin, mixed together, without sorting. Hazardous items do not: asbestos, chemicals, paint, batteries, gas cylinders, medical waste and loose liquids each need a separately licensed route. If an item is not on either list, describe it to us before the bin is filled and we will tell you where it goes.
Most of what comes out of a flat, a renovation or a site goes into a skip bin without anyone having to think about it. A short list does not, and it is worth knowing which is which before the bin is on your driveway rather than after.
What goes in, mixed, without sorting
You do not need to separate these. A mixed load is normal and it is what the bins are for.
- General household and office waste — the ordinary contents of a clear-out.
- Furniture and bulky items — sofas, wardrobes, tables, bed frames, office furniture.
- Renovation debris — tiles, plaster, skirting, old fittings, broken fixtures.
- Construction rubble — concrete, brick, screed, blockwork.
- Wood and timber — including formwork, pallets and old doors.
- Metal — railings, frames, pipes, fittings.
- Cardboard, paper and plastics — packaging from a move or a fit-out.
- Garden and landscaping waste — cuttings, branches, turf.
- Soil and earth — spoil from excavation and landscaping.
The full list, with the bins each one suits, is on what we accept. If your load is mostly rubble or soil, read which skip bin size do I need first — heavy waste changes which bin is right.
What needs a different licensed route
These are not refusals. Each of the following is regulated separately in Singapore and has to be handled by an operator licensed for it, which is a different licence from the one that lets a skip bin take general waste. Put one in a bin and the whole load can be turned away at the disposal facility, which costs you a trip and a day.
- Asbestos — in older ceiling boards, pipe lagging and some roof sheets. Removal is a controlled process from start to finish.
- Chemicals and solvents — including thinners, adhesives and cleaning agents in bulk.
- Paint — liquid paint in tins, whether full or part-used.
- Batteries — car batteries, power-tool packs, anything lithium.
- Gas cylinders — full or empty, including camping canisters.
- Medical waste — sharps, clinical waste, pharmaceuticals.
- Loose liquids — anything that would pour out when the bin is tipped.
If you think you have asbestos
Stop and ask before anything is moved or broken up. It is the one item on this page where the wrong handling matters long after the waste is gone. Message us, describe what you are looking at, and we will tell you what the job needs.
The National Environment Agency licenses and regulates both the general waste side and the hazardous side in Singapore, and its waste management overview is the authoritative description of how the two are kept apart.
The grey areas people ask about
These come up on almost every job, and the honest answer is that it depends on the item's condition and what else is in the load. Describe it and we will give you a straight answer in one message.
| The item | What decides it |
|---|---|
| Mattresses | Usually straightforward. Tell us how many, as they take more space than their weight suggests. |
| Fridges and air-conditioners | The refrigerant inside. Say which unit it is and we will tell you what the job needs. |
| Televisions, monitors, computers | Electrical waste is handled separately from general waste. Ask before it goes in. |
| Empty paint tins, fully dried | Different from liquid paint. Describe what state they are in. |
| Tyres | Handled separately from general waste at the facility. Tell us the count. |
| Treated or painted timber | Usually fine with renovation debris. Say so if there is a lot of it. |
There is no penalty for asking, and there is a real cost to guessing. One message before the bin is filled is the cheapest part of the whole job.
Why the line matters
Three separate things go wrong when a restricted item ends up in a general-waste bin, and they compound.
The load can be rejected
Disposal facilities inspect what arrives. A bin carrying something it should not can be turned away whole, and the contents still have to go somewhere.
The trip is wasted
A rejected load means the lorry comes back, which is a second trip nobody planned for and a day added to your job.
The licence matters
General waste collection and hazardous waste are licensed separately. Keeping them apart is not paperwork — it is the reason the system works at all.
Loading the bin so nothing is wasted
- Break down what breaks down. A flat-packed wardrobe takes a fraction of the space of an assembled one.
- Heavy and flat at the bottom — rubble, tiles, timber sheets. It keeps the load stable and fills the corners.
- Bulky and awkward on top, packed into the gaps rather than stacked above the rim.
- Keep the load level with the top edge. A bin filled above its walls cannot be lifted safely and has to be reduced on site.
- Keep anything from the restricted list out from the start, rather than fishing it back out later.
If the bin fills faster than you expected, tell us early. A swap arranged the day before is routine; one arranged on the morning it is needed depends on where the lorries already are.
Not sure about something in your load?
Send us a photo of it. We would rather answer a question than turn a lorry around, and the answer usually takes one message.
On this page
Questions about this
- Do I need to sort the waste before it goes in the bin?
- No. General waste, furniture, renovation debris, rubble, wood, metal and cardboard can all go in mixed together. Only the restricted items need keeping out, and they need keeping out entirely rather than separated.
- Can I put a mattress in a skip bin?
- Yes. Tell us how many you have when you book, because mattresses take up far more space than their weight suggests and they change which bin size suits the job.
- Can I put soil or concrete in a skip bin?
- Yes, both are handled. Say so when you book: heavy waste reaches a bin's weight limit long before it fills the space, so the right answer is often a smaller bin taken twice.
- What happens if something restricted ends up in the bin?
- Tell us as soon as you notice. If it is found at the disposal facility the load can be turned away whole, which means a second trip and a day added to the job. Caught early, it is usually a five-minute fix.
- Can I put paint tins in a skip bin?
- Liquid paint needs a separately licensed route. Fully dried, empty tins are a different question and depend on their state, so describe what you have and we will tell you.
- What about old electronics and appliances?
- Electrical waste is handled separately from general waste in Singapore, and fridges and air-conditioners carry refrigerant as well. Tell us which units you have before the bin arrives.
- How full can I fill the bin?
- Level with the top edge. A load stacked above the walls cannot be lifted safely, so it has to be reduced on site before the lorry can take it, which wastes everyone's morning.
Read next
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