The short answer
A skip suits a clean-out you’ll do yourself over a few days: it sits on the driveway, and you sort as you go. A skip bag suits a small, light job with no room for a skip, but it holds less and has a tight weight limit. Rubbish removal suits when nobody can do the lifting: a crew loads it for you, at a price for the labour. Whichever you choose, e-waste, paint, chemicals, gas bottles and medicines have to be taken out first.
Skip, skip bag or rubbish removal
Three ways to clear a garage or a house
| Option | Who loads it | How much it holds | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skip bin | You, over the hire period (3 or 4 days is a common standard hire) | 2 to 10 m³ or more, with a weight limit for each size | A garage, a shed or a whole house, sorted as you go |
| Skip bag | You; a crane truck lifts it out | 1 to 3 m³; Aussie Skip Bags’ limits are 200, 400 and 600 kg | A small, light job, or a spot a skip can’t reach |
| Rubbish removal | A crew, usually in one visit | Priced on the load and the labour | When nobody can do the lifting, or it must be gone in a day |
Our comparison. Hire periods from M Tucker & Sons and Yarra Valley Skip Bins; skip bag sizes and limits from Aussie Skip Bags’ own site, checked 12 October 2026.
Skip bags cost little up front: Aussie Skip Bags sells its 1, 2 and 3 m³ bags for $34, $40 and $44 plus postage, but the pick-up is charged separately by postcode, and it isn’t published. Ask for the pick-up price before you fill one, and remember its 3 m³ bag holds 600 kg, less than a 3 m³ skip’s 0.8 t light-load limit at Yarra Valley Skip Bins.
For a skip, published mini skip prices in the east start at $290 for 2 m³ of general waste (ASAP Bin Hire); bigger skips and every published price are on skip bin prices. Rubbish removal isn’t something this site arranges, and we haven’t found published prices for it in the east that we’d stand behind: get a fixed price for the whole load before the truck arrives.
Sort it before anything goes
Garages and sheds collect exactly the things a skip, a skip bag or a removal truck can’t take to landfill. Set these aside first:
- E-waste: old TVs, computers, power tools, chargers and anything with a plug, battery or cord. Banned from Victorian landfill since 2019; see e-waste disposal.
- Paint and chemicals: paint goes to Paintback (free, up to 100 litres a visit); pool chemicals, pesticides and solvents to the state’s free Detox Your Home events.
- Gas bottles, tyres and car batteries: see tyre, paint and gas bottle disposal.
- Asbestos: old fibro sheets stored in a shed or garage are common. Don’t break them; see asbestos disposal.
- Mattresses: they can go in most skips for an extra charge, or to a tip or recycler.
Clearing a deceased estate
Clearing a family member’s home is slower than a garage, and it’s rarely only rubbish. A few things make it easier:
Check before anything is thrown out
If you aren’t the executor, check with whoever is, or with the estate’s solicitor, before anything is sold, given away or thrown out. Papers, keys, jewellery and photos turn up in unlikely places, so go through drawers and boxes before they go in the skip.
Medicines go back to a pharmacy
The Return Unwanted Medicines project takes any medicine at any community pharmacy, free. Don’t put them in the skip or down the sink.
Donate what’s in good condition
Salvos Stores collects larger donations free, including furniture at selected stores, as long as it isn’t broken, stained or torn. In busy areas bookings run 3 to 4 weeks ahead, so book early. See furniture disposal for the other options.
Give it time
A skip on the driveway for a week lets family come and go and sort at their own pace. Agree the hire period when you book: M Tucker & Sons, for one, includes 3 days and charges $25.00 for each extra day.
Which size
Clean-out waste is bulky and light, so the space runs out before the weight does, unless there are old pavers, bricks or a box of tiles in the mix. As our rule of thumb:
- 2 or 3 m³: a garden shed, a single carport, or a small unit.
- 4 to 6 m³: a single or double garage, or a two-bedroom unit’s furniture.
- 8 m³ or more: a family home, or two skips in turn.
The skip bin size calculator has garage and house-clearance modes: tell it the floor area and how full it is, or the rooms, and it works out the volume. Council hard rubbish can take some furniture and whitegoods free, but each council caps it at one household’s allowance, and Yarra Ranges collects only once a year.
Units, rentals and shared driveways
A skip on the property needs no permit. On a shared driveway, check with the neighbours or the owners corporation first and leave room to get past. If it has to go on the street, the skip company applies for the council permit; each council’s rules are in skip bin permits. Skip bags suit a courtyard or a spot behind a gate, as long as the crane truck can reach it.
Common questions
Is a skip bag cheaper than a skip?
Up front, yes: Aussie Skip Bags sells its bags for $34 to $44 plus postage. But the pick-up is charged separately by postcode, and a 3 m³ bag holds only 600 kg. Compare the bag plus its pick-up with a mini skip’s all-in price before you decide.
What size skip do I need for a garage clean-out?
As our rule of thumb, a 4 to 6 m³ skip for a single or double garage, and 2 or 3 m³ for a garden shed. The skip bin size calculator works it out from the floor area and how full the garage is.
What can’t go in the skip from a deceased estate?
E-waste (TVs, computers, appliances), paint, chemicals, gas bottles, batteries, medicines and asbestos. Medicines go back to any pharmacy free through the Return Unwanted Medicines project.
How long can I keep a skip for a house clearance?
Agree it when you book. Published standard hires in the east are mostly 3 or 4 days, with extra days charged: M Tucker & Sons charges $25.00 for each day beyond its 3.
Where this information comes from
The rules and prices on this page come from these published pages, checked on 12 October 2026.
- Aussie Skip Bags · Skip bag business; bag sizes, weight limits and bag prices, pick-up priced by postcode
- Yarra Valley Skip Bins: skip bin hire prices · Skip hire business, Dixons Creek (Yarra Ranges); price table by size, waste and weight limit, no visible date, GST not stated
- ASAP Bin Hire: Bayswater skip bins · Skip hire business, Kilsyth; main “Our skip bins” table (the page also shows a second, different price guide), GST not stated
- M Tucker & Sons: skip bins Ringwood · Skip hire business, Mount Evelyn; published hire terms and extra charges (no price table), GST included
- Victorian Government: e-waste ban · State government page, updated 14 March 2024
- Paintback · Industry paint take-back scheme
- DEECA: Detox Your Home · State program page, updated 22 July 2026
- The RUM Project: return unwanted medicines · National free medicine take-back through community pharmacies
- Salvos Stores: home collection · Charity retailer’s page on free collection of larger donations
- Asbestos in Victoria: homeowner removal · Victorian Government asbestos website, updated 11 June 2024
- Yarra Ranges Council: hard rubbish · Council page on the annual hard rubbish collection