It's been a while since I've had to hire a skip (7 years to be exact) but I was rather shocked to find there's been a huge increase in cost. I've just hired one for 7 days to clear my uncle's house and it will cost us £378!!!!
If I lived in the same council area I would just keep filling my car (or hire a van) and go to the recycling centre. At least then I could sort it into the different materials. But the recycling centre where he lived isn't fully open yet and only residents' cars (which are pre registered) can book a recycling slot.
So most of the stuff has to be skipped 😖 I'll sort and donate as much as I can but as charity shops aren't taking donations either, we're a bit stuck. And we're now under a wee bit of time pressure from HM Revenue and Customs! The government always get their money first!!! Good job I'm nearly on holiday and can get cracking.
On the plus side, I've spoken to yet another long lost cousin 😊
Hi Ali, I remember having to empty my mother's house in Crieff... But the difference then was the charity shops were open and grateful for everything, and the guys at the local tip just let me drop stuff off when I explained I was emptying my deceased Mum's house - mind, that was 22 years ago now and rules were a lot more relaxed back then.
ReplyDeleteCovid-19 restrictions really have made many aspects of life (and death) much more complicated. Sending virtual hugs ((( )))
Thanks :-) Completely agree that Covid has made the whole process more challenging! We'll do our best as I just can't bear thinking about good stuff going to landfill
DeleteWe had to help my mum and brother empty my Dad's garage after he died, but then the tips were open and while we sorted and filled a skip my brother was able to do tip and charity shop runs as well. It is going to be so difficult for you to see good stuff go to landfill.
ReplyDeleteIs there somewhere at the front of the property that you could put some things with a sign 'Free to Good Homes'. You never know some things might be picked up by people that need them. Or you could list on Facebook Marketplace as things being free to collect on a specific day or two.
I'm hoping my cousins might take some things but there's not much that I think anyone else would take. I will do my absolute best to stop it going to landfill!!
DeleteGosh that's expensive for a skip. My daughter had one last year from a company who recycle the stuff you put in which suited her fine. It was just over a hundred pounds for two days. Will you get the cost back from the estate? I hope so! Nice to find lots of new relatives though. Sue's idea of stuff at the gate free to be collected seems like a good idea, however I suppose it depends on the area where the house is. Good luck anyway, make sure you don't exhaust yourself trying to get it all done so quickly. x
ReplyDeleteYes the cost will come out of the estate so I'll not be out of pocket. Not sure if the high cost is just because it's a big skip but prices have increased dramatically. Maybe because the company gets charged more to dispose of it now? i did shop around and they were all in the same price range
DeleteIt's easy in the sense that everything is covered in mould and dust so it's getting thrown out. The hard bit is there's just sooo much 'stuff.' My mum and aunt are helping. Turns out I'm really ruthless whereas they like to debate whether something might be 'useful' to someone somewhere!!! LOL!
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