Fair questions
Straight answers.
Every question we get asked about hiring a skip in Cairns, grouped by the decision you are making. Search it, or scroll the five groups.
- 2 to 15
- m³, seven bin sizes
- 7 days
- standard hire, extendable
- 24 h
- notice recommended
- Top rail
- the legal fill line
- 50%+
- of what we collect recovered
Which bin
Picking a size, and what happens if you get it wrong.
Seven sizes, from 2m³ to 15m³. The 8m³, 9m³ and 15m³ are limited supply. One cubic metre is about a 6×4 trailer load.
Yes, the 2m³. It takes concrete, soil, green waste, building and household rubbish, and it suits small jobs and tight spaces.
One phone call and we bring the next size up and take the full one away on the same run. Nothing heaped above the top rail can go on the truck, so don't try to make the wrong bin work. Torn between two sizes when you book? Describe the load and we'll pick it.
Heavy waste is dense material: soil, rock, concrete, bricks, pavers, tiles and render. The quick test is a bucket. Fill one, lift it, and if that's a struggle you're dealing with heavy waste. Dense loads run out of weight allowance while the bin still looks half empty, so a concrete or soil job needs a small bin. A bigger one doesn't get more in, it just gets you a bin you can't fill.
Bins may be filled to the top rail and no higher. As it is illegal to transport overloaded bins, the Tropical Skips drivers cannot accept skips if the waste inside exceeds the bin capacity or is higher than the top rail.
Yes. Most of our bins open on the short end, so couches, furniture and a loaded wheelbarrow go straight in with no lifting over the side. Close the door once the big stuff's in and fill the rest over the top.
Delivery and collection
Getting the bin in, where it sits, and how long you keep it.
Same-day, 99% of the time. Our drivers run flat out and we get your bin to you the day you book on all but the busiest days. Need a set day? Give us 24 hours' notice and we'll lock it in. The same notice gets your pickup booked once the bin is full.
Enough for the truck to back up and drop the bin off the back. Measure your gate and look up for low gutters and powerlines, then call us and we'll check it against our trucks. A driveway or lawn is best. If space is tight, the road, footpath or nature strip works too. You only need a permit for a council car park.
Yes, as long as it doesn't block people walking past. A council car park, like the parking bays in the Cairns CBD, needs a permit sorted before delivery.
7 days. Need longer? Ask before it's due back and we can usually extend it for a small extra cost.
What goes in
What we take, what we do not, and where it ends up.
We take most Cairns waste, sorted into five grades. Green waste: weeds, trees, leaves, fronds and mulch (no building timber). Concrete: plain and reinforced concrete, pavers, bricks, besser blocks and rocks (no ceramic tiles). Light general rubbish: household furniture, appliances and mattresses. Heavy waste and building site rubbish: timber, metals, tiles, masonry and plasterboard. Clean fill: soil with no organic matter or large rocks. It can be more cost effective to separate your waste into two bins rather than putting it all into one, as mixed grades of waste must be processed at the more expensive rate. We do not accept gas bottles, asbestos, car tyres, batteries, food scraps, liquids, paint, oil or thinners, or any other hazardous materials.
No. Mixed loads are fine, we do the sorting at our end. If you can keep it to a single material, though, ask about a single-stream bin. They're cheaper.
Green waste is organic garden material: weeds, trees, leaves, fronds, mulch, grass clippings, branches and hedge trimmings. It does not include building timber, soil, rocks or general household rubbish.
Green waste is processed at a lower rate than mixed waste, so keeping it separate is cheaper. Mixed grades of waste have to be processed at the more expensive rate, so a separate green waste bin and a separate general bin usually costs less than putting everything in one.
Not in a standard green waste bin. We do run a combined Soil & Green Waste bin in 2m³, 3m³ and 4m³ for exactly this job, and a clean fill bin for soil on its own. Call us and we will sort out the right bin.
No, and anyone who tells you that isn't being straight with you. We sort every load that comes through our sorting area and divert everything that can be recycled, which works out to more than half of what we collect overall. Truly mixed or contaminated waste still goes to licensed landfill.
It's mulched and reused. If your whole load is garden waste, a dedicated green waste bin is the cheapest way to get rid of it.
To metal recyclers. Scrap metal and aluminium are among the most valuable things in a skip, and none of it needs to go to landfill.
Tyres, contaminated fill, and mixed general waste that can't be separated. Everything else we pull out and divert.
Weight and cost
What drives the price, and how to keep it down.
The cost varies depending on what sort of material you are putting in the bin and what size you need. The fastest way to get an accurate figure is to request a quote or call the team and tell us what you are throwing.
Separate your waste. Getting a small bin for green waste and a small bin for building waste is usually cheaper than putting both into one large bin, because mixed grades of waste have to be processed at the more expensive rate.
Excess weight is charged per tonne and varies by waste grade. On building and general waste the per-tonne rate is capped, so it never climbs no matter how heavy the load gets. Bins also have to be filled to the top rail and no higher.
It varies by bin size, from 400 kg on a 2m³ up to 1.8 tonne on a 9m³. Excess weight on green waste is charged at $90 per tonne including GST.
Your quote is based on the bin size, waste type and hire period you tell us about. Additional charges apply only if the bin goes over its weight allowance, is filled above the top rail, or holds a different waste type than quoted, plus the fuel surcharge when it is in effect. All of them are published on this page.
Yes. We offer accounts and statements to frequent users such as builders, tradespeople and renovators. Get in touch to set one up.
Collection and swaps
Full, too small, or need a few more days. One call either way.
No. Once you're done or the bin is full, call us and we'll come and get it.
Call or email and we'll get it on the run. Have the delivery address handy and roughly when you'd like it gone, and give us 24 hours where you can.
Yes. We will take the full bin and leave an empty one in the same spot on the same run. A swap costs less than an overloaded bin the driver cannot legally lift, and far less than a second delivery you did not plan for. Tell us what is still to go in. If the job has changed from what you booked (garden waste that turned into fence palings, for example), say so, because the waste grade may change with it.
Seven days is the usual run, and extra days are usually fine at a small extra cost. The trick is asking while the bin is still yours, not on the morning it was due back. The 8m³, 9m³ and 15m³ bins are limited supply and go out on 7 day hire only, so extensions on those depend on what's booked behind you.
Four things. Level with the top rail and no higher: a mounded bin cannot legally be lifted onto the truck, so it stays on the driveway until it is levelled off. Nothing on the lid or leaning against the sides, and the door closed and latched. Clear access for the truck, the same as on delivery, so check for cars parked in since, plus gutters and low powerlines. And nothing added that should not be there: no gas bottles, asbestos, tyres, batteries, food scraps, liquids, paint, oil or thinners. They are the whole difference between the bin leaving on the first run and the truck coming back.
Word of mouth
What Cairns says.
841Google reviews, rated 5.0
“Easy to deal with, paper work free, timely service”
George
“Great service and friendly staff. Would definitely use again. Thanks.”
Ryan Paiaro
“Tropical Skips provided a timely and professional service.”
Laurie Coyne
“Easy to contact, flexible to change arrangements and fast delivery”
Kasper Fratczak
“Excellent prompt service and was kept up-to-date with text as to when bin was arriving and being picked up excellent service”
Stef Baksaj
“Absolutely great service highly recommend”
Liam Elder
“Efficient, professional and competitively priced.”
Mohan Chinnappan
“Very organised, everything has been done on time. Very good communication.”
katy zhou
“Friendly, prompt and always keen. The best skip service we’ve ever seen. For many years you’ve helped us through, so here’s a heartfelt thank you!”
Beverley Gribble
“Delivered on time, very happy with service.”
McCarthy Tegan
“Punctual , professional, great service.”
Don Wong
“Promot and great to deal with”
Alan Pullen
“Great experience – From the outset, Bree was a pleasure to speak to and then through to the delivery, price and pick up. I would definitely recommend without hesitation.”
Christine Clifford
“Excellent service, modern equipment delivered in a timely basis with no complications and ease of invoicing and payment.”
Steve Crampton
“Very punctual on time dilivery and pickup”
Sunia Tuirara
“One week was ample time to fill this 2 square metre skip with my green waste. It was delivered on time and collected one week later. Thanks for the service.”
Dorothy Barker
“Two skips ordered. Both delivered and removed quickly. Thank you so much for a smooth transaction. Highly recommended. 5 stars!”
Joanne Houghton (The Artful Maverick)
“We recently used Tropical Skip Bins and were extremely impressed with the service from start to finish. The booking process was simple, delivery was right on time, and the driver was friendly and professional. The skip bin was clean, placed exactly where we needed it, and picked up promptly when finished. Pricing was fair with no hidden surprises. It made our clean-up so much easier. Highly recommend Tropical Skip Bins to anyone needing reliable and hassle-free skip bin hire.”
Noel Andersen
“Friendly and quick service, highly recommended.”
Joshua Ferguson
“Great service, great price. Made everything easy”
Patimah Singe
“Awesome to deal with everything was easy from delivery to pickup”
Rylan Hearn
“Very happy with the experience as a whole, have delt with a few skip companies in cairns and tropical are by far the best to deal with”
Tym Peterd
“Thank you so much! Prompt, friendly and efficient. Will definitly recommend and use again when needed.”
Lynne Rees
“Best price, prompt service, no issues, very happy.”
Sergey Yashumov (Русский гид в Австралии)
“Fast, efficient service from Tropical Skips. Highly recommend and would use again”
mandy ross
“Great and easy service! Enquired Tuesday and had a skip bin delivered at the exact time requested Saturday morning. Highly recommend!”
Rachel Walsh
“Had a great experience with Tropical Skips Cairns. Was hesitant about ordering a skip bin but everything went smoothly and the price was more than reasonable for hiring a 6m2 skip for 3 days. I made sure I was waiting for the driver when they deliver and also had the gates open. Will definitely use them again if needed.”
COURIER 6
“Always reliable and super friendly local crew. Keep up the good work team.”
Gabby Azzopardi
“Great service at reasonable price, nice job. Strongly recommended if I need bins hires.”
Giang Nguyen
“Great service and Value. Great people to deal with. The driver was a legend and very helpful”
Matt Zaccour
“Fast efficient service (delivery & pick up) Friendly staff with professional outlook.”
Gada Morris
“I called Tropical Skips close to closing time on Saturday for an urgent delivery. They were very helpful and were able to accommodate. They were very polite and punctual and r reasonably priced.”
Tammy Saunders
“Cheap, easy not fuss service 😁”
Mimi Blow
“They were great to deal with, communication was 150%. Prompt, put the bin where I wanted it even though it was a bit tricky, picked it up with no fuss when we were done. Highly recommend.”
Jenelle Morris
“So easy to deal with, Bri was fabulous in the office & no fuss, in & out with the skips. Thanks team x”
Suzanne Whitten
“Great, friendly, professional service.”
Sue MJ
“Fast and efficient service, couldn’t fault Tropical Skips”
PETER SMITH
“Reliable service and easy, hassle free process 🙌🏼”
Kiara Sclip
“Good service as always 😊👍”
Jori Poutanen
“Great service - reasonable price”
Alison H
Still wondering?
Pick the waste type and the size in the express quote and the price lands in your email and your texts within minutes. It's quicker than reading all of this, and the office is a call away if you would rather talk it through.