The list that decides whether your load is accepted
Cape Winelands District · Stellenbosch, Drakenstein, Witzenberg, Breede Valley and Langeberg
What You Can and Cannot Put in a Skip
A skip is for general waste, building rubble and garden waste. Some things may not go in at all, and the rules come from national landfill regulations, not from the operator's preference.
By the Winelands Skips request desk · checked 19 October 2026 · written and fact-checked in house · every municipal fact is sourced on the guide page
What a skip is for
General household and business waste, building and demolition rubble that is not contaminated, and garden waste. That covers most renovations, clean-outs, small building jobs and garden clears in the Winelands.
- Household and garage clutter
- Building rubble: bricks, tiles, plaster, concrete, timber offcuts
- Garden waste: branches, prunings, leaves, grass
- Old furniture and fittings
- Packaging, cardboard and general business waste
What may not go in, by law
The Norms and Standards for Disposal of Waste to Landfill (GNR 636 of 2013, under the National Environmental Management: Waste Act) prohibit a list of waste streams from landfill outright. A skip load that contains them can be refused at the gate.
- Explosive, corrosive or oxidising waste
- Waste with a pH below 6 or above 12
- Flammable waste with a closed-cup flashpoint under 61°C
- Reactive waste that may react with water, air or acids
- Compressed gas cylinders
- Untreated healthcare risk waste
- Lead-acid batteries
- Whole tyres
What the facilities around here also refuse
Municipal facilities add their own exclusions. Langeberg's published list of waste not allowed at its drop-offs names asbestos waste, expired or unusable hazardous products, mixed hazardous chemical waste from laboratories, liquid waste and tyres.
Asbestos is the one to be careful with on an older Winelands property. It is not a skip item. It needs a specialist removal contractor, and putting it in a general skip is an offence.
Separating the load
Rubble and garden waste are only general waste while they are uncontaminated. The Waste Classification and Management Regulations require waste to be kept separate for classification and not mixed before it is classified.
In practice: keep paint, solvents, batteries and gas out of the bin, and tell the operator if the load is mixed. Stellenbosch's by-law also prohibits mixing building waste into the household waste stream collected on the normal refuse round.
If you are not sure
Ask before the bin is dropped. One question at booking is cheaper than a refused load, a return trip and a re-sorting charge. Photograph the pile if it is easier than describing it.
Why this list is stricter than a competitor’s
Most skip websites list what they will take and stop. The exclusions are the part that decides whether a load is accepted, and they come from national regulations rather than from any operator's preference.
A load that contains one prohibited item — a single tyre, a gas bottle, a bucket of paint — can be refused at the gate, and the operator then has to bring it back or send it to a specialist facility at your cost. That is the practical reason to read the exclusions before the bin is filled.
Questions before you book
Short answers. Where the answer depends on the operator, the page says so instead of inventing a number.
Can I put paint tins in a skip?
NotEmpty ones, no. Paint and solvent are hazardous waste and are excluded. Check with the municipality's household hazardous waste service.
Can I put tyres in a skip?
No. Whole tyres are prohibited from landfill under GNR 636, and Langeberg's facilities name tyres explicitly.
What about a mattress or old furniture?
Yes, as general waste. Bulky household items are what a clean-out skip is for.
Can I put soil in a skip?
Ask. Soil is heavy and some operators will not take it in a general-waste bin because of the weight. If they will, expect the weight allowance to decide the price.
The request
Request a bin for your address
The town and one line about the job — what you are clearing, the size, the date and any access constraint. The town decides which operator sees it, and the price comes back as a quote, not a guess.
- One form. No account, no card, no obligation.
- A local operator confirms the size, the hire period and the price.
- Nothing is dropped until you accept the quote.
The request desk is not the skip company: the operator who quotes you delivers and tips the bin. The footer of every page says the same thing.
The request slip
Five fields. Your town decides which operator sees it.