Mega Skip Days: free help with your bulky items

Getting rid of an old mattress or a broken sofa isn't easy. Not everyone can get to the tip, and paying for a collection isn't always an option, which is why we run Mega Skip Days together with Richmond Council and Richmond Furniture Scheme.

On selected Saturdays each month, a large skip comes to a different location in Richmond borough for a few hours. You bring along the things you no longer need, and they're taken away for free. There's nothing to pay, and no need to book.

Richmond Furniture Scheme is there on the day too. They take reusable furniture, upcycle it and pass it back into the community, so your old chest of drawers could end up making a difference in someone else's home.

What you can bring

Each household can bring up to six items, including:

• sofas, mattresses and furniture
• smaller electrical appliances
• black bags.

One black bag counts as one item, and so does one sofa or one mattress.

There are some things the skips can't take:

• cardboard
• paint, chemicals, engine oil or cooking oil
• car batteries or flammable liquids
• concrete, cement, rubble or hardcore
• plasterboard or asbestos
• hazardous or sharp objects.

If you're unsure about an item, just ask a member of staff on the day.

Keep an eye out for a skip near you

Our next Mega Skip Day is on Saturday 22 August, from 9am to 11am. You'll find the skip on Hatherop Road, at the entrance to Hatherop Park.

The skips are open from 9am to 11am, or until they're full, whichever comes first. They fill up fast, so it's worth coming early.

Each Mega Skip Day usually happens in one location at a time, so dates and locations change. We'll share the next ones on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/therhpgroup and on our community events page.

You can also sign up for Richmond Council's waste and recycling email updates. They'll let you know when a Mega Skip Day is coming to your postcode. Visit www.richmond.gov.uk/mega_skip_days to find out more.