A new website is trying to add a circular element to skip hire, by connecting users disposing of waste to those nearby in need of specific materials for free.

The start-up, UnSkip.com, shares information about what is in registered skips in the area, enabling materials to be saved from landfill and given an extra life.

When someone notices that a skip they have hired is getting full, they can register their skip on the site for free, stating what sort of materials it contains. Those in need of specific materials like bricks, metals, pallets, carpet or wood can then search on the site to see if they are available at a registered skip near them.

Founder Adam Leone suggests that the process presents a win for everybody, with the skip user saving on the costs of extra skip space, the collector getting needed materials for free, skip hire companies paying less in landfill tax and resources being passed on for an extended useful life.

When users register their skips on the site they declare that the items in the skips are no longer classified as waste, and are instead categorised as ‘resources that can be taken away, used/recycled’.

UnSkip says that the service ‘exploits a loophole in wastage laws in a green and friendly way’.

Leone said: “There’s arguably at least one skip on every road in London – that’s a lot of stuff going to landfill that could otherwise be put to good use.

“The website makes use of the old saying ‘one man’s trash is another man’s treasure’. I’m always looking in skips for stuff to use at my allotment, but I never know whether I have permission to take it. UnSkip is an environmentally friendly middle-man that answers that question.

“Everyone wins – skipdivers and recyclers in the local community will gain access to resources. Anyone hiring a skip will have less costs as items will be removed from the skip and Skip hire companies will pay less in landfill tax.”