Skip Container (Mulde)

When a skip pays off

From roughly 15 to 20 cubic metres of material onwards, a skip is usually cheaper than several trips with a van. It is particularly worthwhile when the clearance runs over several days, because the container can be filled continuously instead of the team driving away and back each time.

It does not make sense for small quantities, when there is nowhere to put it, or when the material is heavily mixed — an unsorted skip is billed as mixed waste (Mischabfall) and is expensive accordingly.

The parking spot needs a permit

On private ground a skip can simply be placed, provided the surface can carry the load. On public ground — the street, a parking bay or the pavement — you need a permit from the municipality, in the City of Zurich from the traffic department (Dienstabteilung Verkehr).

The permit has to be applied for in advance, usually with a few working days of lead time. On top of that come fees depending on the location, plus requirements for signage and lighting. We handle this on request, which is the part expats most often underestimate: you cannot simply put a container on a Zurich street the way you might elsewhere.

Single-material skips are cheaper

For larger clearances several small skips are often better value than one big one: one for bulky waste (Sperrgut), one for scrap timber, one for construction rubble (Bauschutt), one for metal. Disposal fees for clean, single-material fractions are far below those for mixed waste — with larger quantities that pays for itself despite the extra transport runs.