Shipping containers
Standard and high cube units from 8ft to 45ft, including the common 20ft and 40ft sizes, whether sound, rusted, dented or with seized doors.
Every size from 8ft to 45ft
Shipping Container Disposal
Unwanted steel containers and portable cabins lifted and taken away on our own HIAB lorries, from homes, businesses, construction sites, farms and ports across England, Scotland and Wales.
A used 40ft unit loaded on one of our lorries
Getting rid of it properly
Shipping container disposal, from first photo to empty space
A disused unit is hard to shift on your own. It is too heavy for a trailer, too big for a skip and too valuable, in many cases, simply to scrap. We take that problem off your hands: you send photos, we tell you what it will cost or what it is worth, and our own team lifts it away.
We do not rely on anyone else's lorry. Our HIAB vehicles lift each unit from where it stands, load it and carry it away, so there is no separate lifting vehicle for you to book or co-ordinate.
One unit at the bottom of a garden or a whole row on a yard, the process is the same. We take any quantity.
What we collect
What we take away
If it is steel, portable and no longer wanted, the chances are we can collect it. Condition does not stop us, it only changes the outcome.
Portable cabins
Site offices, welfare units, temporary classrooms and steel anti-vandal units from 8ft to 40ft, single or linked.
Storage units
Smaller steel stores used for garden, farm or site storage, collected the same way.
For cabins in particular, see portable cabin removal and disposal. Clearing school grounds? Read about school and college container disposal.
What it costs
Container disposal cost: you pay, it is free, or we buy it
There is no fixed price, because no two units are alike. Once we have seen photos and know the postcode, we will tell you which of these applies.
You pay for disposal
For units in poor condition, where the cost of lifting, transporting and disposing of them is more than they are worth. We quote a price before anything is booked.
Free removal
Where a unit still has enough value to cover the cost of collecting it, we can take it away free of charge.
We buy it
Where the unit is in good enough condition, we may make you an offer and pay you for it, as well as collecting it.
Which one applies depends on condition, with size and location also playing a part. Send us photos and we will tell you.
How it works
Four steps to a cleared site
Most of the work happens before the lorry arrives. Clear information at the start means a straightforward lift on the day.
Send photos
The outside from each side, the doors, the inside and the route from the road. What to photograph.
We assess it
We tell you whether you pay, collection is free or we can make an offer. Once agreed, the quote does not change.
Agree a date
We plan the vehicle around the size of the unit, the ground and anything overhead, then book a day that suits you.
Lifted and gone
Our HIAB lifts it onto the lorry, it is secured and we take it away.
After collection
Reuse first, recycling last
Disposal does not have to mean the scrapyard. A unit that is still wind and watertight can be sold on and used again by another person or business. Some are worth repairing and repainting first. Only steel that is genuinely beyond use is scrapped, so the metal can be recycled.
That order is also why some collections cost nothing and some earn you money: the more life a unit has left, the more it is worth to the next owner.
Disposal or removal?
Which service do you need?
The two overlap, and we handle both. Disposal is for a unit you want gone for good, with no further use to you. If you simply need one moved off a site, or several cleared from a yard, our shipping container removal page explains how collections are planned.
Want to know what drives the price before you send anything? Read our guide to removal cost, or the step-by-step guide on how to get rid of a shipping container.
Disposal questions
How does shipping container disposal work?
Send us photos, the postcode, the size and a note about access. We tell you whether you pay for disposal, collection is free or we can buy it, then agree a date. On the day our HIAB lifts it onto the lorry and we take it away.
Do I have to pay to get rid of an old container?
Not always. Units in poor condition usually cost money to dispose of, ones with some value left can be collected free of charge, and good ones we may buy. Condition decides it, along with size and location.
Which sizes do you take?
Every size from 8ft to 45ft, including 10ft, 20ft, 40ft and 40ft high cube, plus portable cabins from 8ft to 40ft. A photo and a rough measurement are enough if you are not sure of the size.
Do you take portable cabins and site offices as well?
Yes. We take portable cabins, site offices, welfare units and steel anti-vandal units in the same way, and we can clear a mixed site in one plan.
Where does it go after you collect it?
Sound units are sold on and used again, some are refurbished, and anything beyond reuse is scrapped so the steel can be recycled.
Do you cover my area?
We are based in Manchester and collect across England, Scotland and Wales. Give us the postcode and we will plan the collection from there.
Will the price change on the day?
No. Once a quote is agreed, it does not change. That is why we ask for clear photos and an honest note about access and contents first.
Ready to get rid of it?
Send us a few photos, the postcode and a rough idea of access. We will tell you whether you pay for disposal, whether removal is free or whether we can buy it.