Mumsnet users review HIPPOBAGs for helping remove waste and rubbish

[EllieMumsnet]

This activity is now closed

This is the thread for the 24 Mumsnetters who tested out the HIPPOBAG and rubbish removal service.

Non-testers in order to be entered into a prize draw, where one MNer will win a £200 voucher, please answer this question: Share your golden rule for having a big clear out!

If you don't fancy reading the full thread, you can take a look at the highlights here: Mumsnetters review HIPPOBAG

Here’s what HIPPOBAG have to say: “HIPPO is the UK’s market leader of flexible waste solutions – Trusted by millions for waste removal across the UK, the iconic yellow HIPPOBAGs are the perfect way to dispose of household, garden or building waste. Arriving flat-packed and ready to use, customers are amazed at the amount of waste HIPPOBAGs can hold, and delighted by the 5-star collection service conducted by a fleet of HIPPO collection vehicles which crane the filled HIPPOBAGs from even the tightest of spaces. HIPPOBAGs are ultra-strong, holding up to 1.5 tonnes of waste, with the perfect size bag available for every job.”

Testers please answer the following feedback questions:

• Which size HIPPOBAG did you use?
• What did you use your HIPPOBAG for? Have you ever used one before?
• What means of waste removal have you used in the past? (skip, going to the tip, man & van etc.)
• What did you like most about the HIPPOBAG?
• How did you find the collection experience and the overall quality of the service?
• Based on your experience, would you use HIPPO again in the future? And recommend to friends?

All testers who post the required feedback will be entered into a prize draw where one tester will win a £100 voucher of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck
MNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs apply

1. We had a Megabag Hippobag
2. It's the first time we've used one. We filled it mostly with stuff from the garden - a load of stone chippings from an area we're clearing together with a random pile of bricks and tiles left by the previous owner. We also chucked in some broken slabs, guttering, random wood from the garage and an old wooden drinks cabinet that we'd broken up!
3. We've never used waste disposal before. We tend to chuck stuff in the car and take it to the tip. The things we were able to use the Hippobag for were the heavy items that always seemed to big/bulky/heavy for the car.
4. I loved how simple the whole process was. The bag came flat packed by courier and all the instructions were printed on the clear outer bag it came in. It was easy to position into the best place on the driveway and was big enough to fit loads in without being so bulky that it got in the way
5. The collection service was amazing. I phoned yesterday lunchtime (6th March) and we heard the noise of a lorry outside this morning (7th March) at just gone 7am and it was the Hippo truck! The collection was able to happen without any involvement on our part at all so perfect if you're out all day. The operator I spoke to on the phone (Emma) was bright, cheerful and friendly. I think I may have been the first tester she'd spoken to as it took slighter longer to work out where to put the Mumsnet code into the computer but I was only on the phone for about 5 minutes. Easy peasy.
6. I would definitely use Hippobag again if I had bulky/heavy items that I needed to shift. The whole process was straightforward and a bag is much less intrusive than a skip would have been. My only concern was the worry that I would overload the bag (It was capable of 1.5 tonnes but we were putting heavy stuff in there so I don't know how close to that limit we got). I may have been tempted to stuff a skip to the max as the weight would have been less of an issue.

• Which size HIPPOBAG did you use?

I had the hipposkip which i think is the larger size

• What did you use your HIPPOBAG for? Have you ever used one before?

This is my first skip... i’m a horder! I had lots of bits of furniture that I needed to get rid of that have slowily been gathering in the garage. Things like wardrobe doors and hanging rails, planks of wood and old bits of changing tables, many of which are too long to fit in our car easily. I also missed the recycling collection the week before so I had two big boxes full of cardboard and plastic that I popped in the skip to so I’m not backlogged anymore! I had some garden rubbish to but this was mainly broken plastic toys and pots. I also had an old wooden toy/blanket box that I had been hanging onto which I really was never going to use again. I also had loads of baby bottles and Tupperware that I had put on Facebook for someone just to pick up but it’s been on there for a month and i was on the cergenof chucking them to instead (as hippobags recycles what they can) they went in aswell.

• What means of waste removal have you used in the past? (skip, going to the tip, man & van etc.)

I’ve (or rather my husband) has carted things off to the tip before but we also had a man and van as part of some building work take waste away.

• What did you like most about the HIPPOBAG?

I love how small is when it comes. It doesn’t feel like it’s going to be much bigger to until you unwrap it.

• How did you find the collection experience and the overall quality of the service?

The collection was a little too timely for me! I had read that it takes in between three and five working days to collect once you’ve arranged it so I foolishly phoned up before I’d even filled mine to arrange a time to collect (thinking that it would be good timeline for me to work towards! I work better under pressure!) However I had a text message later that day saying it will be collected the next day!!! I had to frantically rush about filling it. In my case it just meant I chucked stuff in rather than um and ah about it. I had most of the bulky stuff ready in the garage anyhow so not too hard to fill... it’s massive! I didn’t even actually noticed the collection. The skip simply disappeared!

• Based on your experience, would you use HIPPO again in the future? And recommend to friends?

I would recommend hippo bags and actually already have. Much nicer than a big bulky metal skip stuck outside your house.

1. we had a mega bag hippo bag

2. we used it for garden waste. We moved last year and are in the process of clearing the mega garden, think lots of dead trees, tons of Ivy, overgrown hedges and shrubs, plus lots of dead things in pots (we kept the pots just emptied the plants out)

3. we have a garden waste bin that’s collected full to the brim every fortnight by the council, and we have used skips in the past, though not for garden waste, in the past we have just tipped it but we have SO much of it here, it would take weeks of solid tip trips to shift it all.

4. I really liked how easy it was, the courier delivered it straight to the front door and it took up no space until we were ready to use it. When we have had skips in the past, it felt like we had to be ready the day it arrived to get it filled, before other people came along and chucked their stuff in it. With this, we were able to wait for the week end and fill it over a couple of hours.

5. I really rate the collection service. I called them on the Monday to say it was ready and they confirmed it was the required no more than 4metres from the kerb and not next to the roof or any thing that the crane would potentially knock or get stuck on. I was amazed when they turned up the next day to collect (given we had had heavy snow the night before I had imagined we would be stuck with it for days) and it was so quick and easy, the driver just got on with it with no input from me at all.

6. I think I would use hippo bag again, purely because of the ease of being able to fill it at my convenience. However, I probably would not use it again for garden waste as because it’s a floppy sided bag, it was quite difficult to fill to begin with as there was nothing to weight down the bottom or keep the sides rigid as we filled it. I think therefore we didn’t get to make the most out of its full capacity. However, had we been using it for rubble or building waste that wouldn’t have been a problem as the weight of that would have enabled us to stack around the sides first to keep its shape as we filled it. If I were using it for example, taking out a bathroom or general building waste I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it and a hippo bag would be my first choice.

• Which size HIPPOBAG did you use?

We had a Megabag - up to 1.5 tonnes, medium size

• What did you use your HIPPOBAG for? Have you ever used one before?

We had recently demolished an above ground fish pond and rockery to make our garden more toddler friendly for our 1 and 2 year olds. We had a very large heap of soil we didn't know what to do with. We had not used a Hippobag before.

• What means of waste removal have you used in the past? (skip, going to the tip, man & van etc.)

We have always taken our rubbish to the tip before or had tradesmen take it away as part of larger jobs.

• What did you like most about the HIPPOBAG?

It was great that it arrived flat-packed for assembly and use at any time. It was also good not to have to have a traditional skip on the drive that other people might have chucked things in!

• How did you find the collection experience and the overall quality of the service?

I received good customer service when I called to arrange collection and the bag was collected with no issues whilst we were out, within the 5 working day period advised even with very snowy weather at that time. The only thing we found tricky was knowing how much soil we could put in there - a weight limit of 1.5 tonnes sounded loads to us but we had no way of gauging how far to fill the bag. We probably under-filled it in the end as were quite cautious.

• Based on your experience, would you use HIPPO again in the future? And recommend to friends?

Yes, we would definitely use this service again and I have already recommended it to friends.

I missed this test, I would definitely have signed up. We’ve got lots of building materials dumped outside the house that is going to be a pain in the bum to take to the dump and I was wondering about these. Also, we don’t have a driveway, is it still possible to use them?

• Which size HIPPOBAG did you use?

We had a HIPPO SKIP.

• What did you use your HIPPOBAG for?

We are about to start a loft conversion so used it to clear all the years of accumulated tat out of our loft: old suitcases, old rolls of carpet, numerous empty cardboard boxes, loads of other random bits and pieces. We also used it for a load of garden waste.

Have you ever used one before?

Yes I think we used a smaller one a few years ago.

• What means of waste removal have you used in the past? (skip, going to the tip, man & van etc.)

We usually do multiple trips to the tip but with three children and a not particularly big car it's not very practical for big jobs like this.

• What did you like most about the HIPPOBAG?

That it arrived in the post looking small but was actually MASSIVE. I also liked the fact that it didn't damage the lawn in any way.

• How did you find the collection experience and the overall quality of the service?

The person on the phone was really friendly and helpful. The HIPPO SKIP was picked up one morning without us even noticing... One minute it was there then, like magic, it was gone! Overall I'd say the quality of the service was excellent.

• Based on your experience, would you use HIPPO again in the future? And recommend to friends?

Yes definitely.

Here's my husband demonstrating just how massive the Hippo Skip was...

Hi @SadieHH HIPPO have seen you query and have responded with the below:

"HIPPOBAGs are perfect for building materials, and with a range of sizes available, you can find the perfect size for what you need to dispose of. There’s no requirement to have a driveway at all, many of our collections are from front gardens or roadside. We can even collect HIPPOBAGs from over walls, fences or hedges that are under 6ft tall. If you’d like to know more, our friendly contact centre can run through this with you on the phone. We look forward to taking care of your rubbish removal very soon."

Which size HIPPOBAG did you use?
We had a HippoSkip the largest bag

• What did you use your HIPPOBAG for? Have you ever used one before?

We used the bag to clear our garden rubbish and to help our neighbour who was taking down a carport from the side of his house. Lots of green waste and also some junk from clearing out the garage. I have experience of using skips before and have seen other people use Hippo bags before.

• What means of waste removal have you used in the past? (skip, going to the tip, man & van etc.)

We have a trailer and use that for all our garden rubbish which is lots. From the end of the month our tip will stop the use of trailers so we will have to think about how we remove our waste from then.

• What did you like most about the HIPPOBAG?

It was all so easy! The bag arrived by courier and was tightly wrapped so didn't take up very much room. It was easy to set up on the drive and fill as you can roll down the sides to put heavy items in the bottom. Collection was just as easy a quick phone call and it was collected the next day.

• How did you find the collection experience and the overall quality of the service?

I have been very impressed with the whole experience. I was worried that I might have filled the bag too full. The collection driver explained that I could have got a bit more green waste in the bag as you could still see the yellow edge on the inside of the bag. We only had the bag on the driveway for about 12 days and this was great as it wasn't in our way for too long.

• Based on your experience, would you use HIPPO again in the future? And recommend to friends?

I will recommend to my brother who is taking his kitchen out at Easter and it was so easy to use if you have a drive or somewhere off-road to place it. I would defiantly recommend as you can easily store till you have the time to fill it.

I’m having my bag collected Monday so will complete my feedback then. I received a midi bag after saying I was having two walls removed in my house and removing an old kitchen. Unfortunately the bag was nowhere near big enough for my needs and I ended up having to hire a skip too.
The bag was easy to use although I’m worried I’ve over filled it! I’ll complete the feedback on Monday :)

Thanks @EllieMumsnet that’s really helpful. I’ll get onto them tomorrow.

Which size HIPPOBAG did you use? Midibag

What did you use your HIPPOBAG for? We were clearing a site for a greenhouse and there were various bits of stuff, including chunks of concrete, that we needed to get rid of.

Have you ever used one before? No.

What means of waste removal have you used in the past? (skip, going to the tip, man & van etc.) Mostly going to the tip.

What did you like most about the HIPPOBAG? I was a bit worried when I saw the package that there wouldn't be enough space for our stuff, but when opened out it was surprisingly big with plenty of room inside. Very easy to use.

How did you find the collection experience and the overall quality of the service? Collection was easy, had to sign a disclaimer for the lorry to come onto our drive but this was accomplished without any fuss or damage. Got a message in advance to say when they'd be coming and they turned up at 8am on that day.

Based on your experience, would you use HIPPO again in the future? And recommend to friends? I've no complaints about the experience, it was very convenient to use. In future I'd definitely consider it and weigh up the convenience against the cost compared to other options and would encourage friends and family to do the same. I think I'd definitely consider it for something like a house move where time is at a premium, there's lots of stuff to get rid of and there just isn't time for fussing around.

• Which size HIPPOBAG did you use?

We were sent a mega bag

• What did you use your HIPPOBAG for? Have you ever used one before?

We used it to empty our garage of things we do not need - mostly baby furniture. We haven’t used one personally before, but when we had our bathroom refitted our suppliers used one.

• What means of waste removal have you used in the past? (skip, going to the tip, man & van etc.)

Going to the tip.

• What did you like most about the hippo bag

It was so easy to use - all folded up until we needed it.

• How did you find the collection experience and the overall quality of the service?

fantastic - the staff were very friendly on the phone.

• Based on your experience, would you use HIPPO again in the future? And recommend to friends?

Yes definitely to both.

Which size HIPPOBAG did you use?
A megabag

• What did you use your HIPPOBAG for? Have you ever used one before?

To dispose of garden rubbish. No, we haven't used one before.

• What means of waste removal have you used in the past? (skip, going to the tip, man & van etc.)

We would usually take our garden waste to the tip.

• What did you like most about the HIPPOBAG?

Being able to just fill it up and have the rubbish taken away, rather than having to keep making trips to the tip.

• How did you find the collection experience and the overall quality of the service?

Excellent

• Based on your experience, would you use HIPPO again in the future? And recommend to friends?

Maybe, but the bag we were given was nowhere near big enough for our needs. Our back lawn is now piled up with rubbish that would have filled several bags of the size we were given and which we will be taking to the tip.

Which size HIPPOBAG did you use?
Midi bag

• What did you use your HIPPOBAG for? Have you ever used one before?

We used to clear clutter from the garden and garage. Had never used one before.

• What means of waste removal have you used in the past? (skip, going to the tip, man & van etc.)

Skip and going to the tip

• What did you like most about the HIPPOBAG?

It was a very easy experience and excellent customer service. The bag was delivered quickly and it's convenient that it's all neatly folded until ready for use unlike a great big ugly skip in the driveway.

• How did you find the collection experience and the overall quality of the service?

Excellent service - when I called to arrange collection, the lady on the phone wasn't aware of the product test but she spoke to someone and it was quickly sorted.

• Based on your experience, would you use HIPPO again in the future? And recommend to friends?

Yes I definitely would, it's a great way to declutter. The midi bag was too small for us but that was my own fault for underestimating how much we were going to use it. I would upsize next time.

-I had the MEGAbag hippo bag.
-We used our bag to clear items from the garden and garage.
-We have used a mini skip before but mainly we take our waste to the tip.
-I now LOVE Hippo bags! I like that you can order them online or buy from DIY stores. I really like the fact you don't have a time limit. You can take your time to fill up the bag and book your collection online or over the phone. If packed properly you can fit so much into a Hippo bag, you can fit just as much in the mega bag as you can in a mini skip. It was so easy to set up the collection and you don't even have to be home when the bags are collected. It is the most convenient way to get rid of waste. Its also reassuring to know that your waste is not going to be fly tipped, as I have heard and seen so many 'waste collectors' that do this locally.

• When I phoned for my bag to be collected it was a day before we had snow. The very friendly and helpful lady on the phone said that due to the weather it may take longer for my bag to be collected(which i was absolutely fine with). But the very next morning the Hippo lorry arrived and took our bag away! I cannot fault the customer service i received. Over the phone the lady was friendly, helpful and cheerful. The driver of the lorry was also very friendly and didn't mind my children bombarding him with questions first thing in the morning! Overall the Hippo service was excellent!
• I would definitely recommend Hippo to everyone I know and we will definitely be using Hippo bags again. We liked the Hippo bag so much we will be ordering another Hippo bag in the summer to get rid of more of my husbands junk from the garage!!

I have never used a Hippo bag before

Which size HIPPOBAG did you use?
We had the Midi bag and it was perfect, could have fit an armchair inside it!

• What did you use your HIPPOBAG for? Have you ever used one before?

No I have never used one before, never heard of them before, but was great! Arrived in a flatpack bag, opened it up, and got chucking!

• What means of waste removal have you used in the past? (skip, going to the tip, man & van etc.) Never used a skip, way too many people take liberties with skips! No-one touched me Hippo bag though! We usually do tip runs.
• What did you like most about the HIPPOBAG?

The sheer ease! The size was great for what we needed it for, the removal was so fuss free, and the lady who we spoke to about collection was really nice.

• How did you find the collection experience and the overall quality of the service? ~

Perfect service, the people I spoke to were courteous and informative, explaining what should and shouldn't be in the bag, they made the process very easy, and the pick up itself lasted minutes, they didn't even bother me, just hooked up and left!

• Based on your experience, would you use HIPPO again in the future? And recommend to friends?

Yes & yes! Would most definitely recommend to friends, and would definitely use again. I cannot believe the sheer amount we managed to get rid of, just with the midi bag! I really appreciate those at Mumsnet picking me for this because its helped loads. We have already decided we would like to have the larger size bag to get rid of more garden junk in the summer! Really pleased!

Which size Hippobag did you use? - We had a Midibag

What did you use your Hippobag for? - Garden waste. Loads of old pots that were broken, a broken water feature, lots of garden cuttings and weeds.

Have you used one before? - No.

What means of waste removal have you used in the past? - The tip mainly. Which is a pain because it's always heaving and at weekends (the only time we get to go) it's queued down the street to get in. If you have to make more than one trip it can take up half your day.

What did you like most about the Hippobag? - It comes flat packed and can be stored anywhere until you are ready to use it. When I first applied for this I was planning on getting loads done in the garden but then we were hit by snow so it remained in the house until the snow cleared and we then filled it the following weekend. If it had been a normal skip it would have been full of snow/water.

How did you find the collection service and the overall quality of the service? - It's completely fuss free. I rang on Monday to say it was ready to go and it was collected today. The only reason I saw it go was that I was taking cups of tea out to the Wessex Water guys digging up the road. The driver doesn't need you to be in or to sign anything.

Based on your experience would you use HIPPO again in the future? And recommend to friends? - Definitely. I'd probably go for a bigger bag (our garden is a jungle - I truly underestimated just how much crap is in it) but for ease of use, convenience, definitely. And I'd definitely recommend to friends.

You don't even need a driveway. It can be left in the front garden or behind a hedge or wall and as long as there's nothing overhead like trees or power cables, they just use the crane to lift it and it's gone.

I had the mega bag. I’ve never used one before and would usually have to take several trips to the tip.
I filled it with garden waste and rubbish from my garage. I loved the size of the bag and the fact that I could place it in a convient place for myself to fill easily as and when required.

Collection was fantastic I called them on Monday afternoon and was told it would be collected within 3-5 days and offered their text service where by they text you the night before they are going to collect. I received a text the next day to say it would be collected on Wednesday(today). The bag indeed promptly collected and taken away.

I would certainly recommend hippo bags~it was such a plain sailing experience, the bag was dispatched quickly and arrived flat packed, I couldn’t believe how big and spacious it was when I opened it.
The fact that I could fit so much in it and have it collected was just great.

• Which size HIPPOBAG did you use?

The megabit

• What did you use your HIPPOBAG for? Have you ever used one before?

Mainly waste from the garden such as broken fence panels and toys. Never used one before.

• What means of waste removal have you used in the past? (skip, going to the tip, man & van etc.)

We usually go to the tip and we've had a skip before.

• What did you like most about the HIPPOBAG?

The fact that it was delivered easily and didn't take up space till we were ready to use it.

• How did you find the collection experience and the overall quality of the service?

It wasn't too bad. We had an issue about whether we would need to sign a disclaimer or not. We were told not but the lorry wouldn't take the bag away as it wasn't next to the road. But we phoned up and a van came the next day.

• Based on your experience, would you use HIPPO again in the future? And recommend to friends?

I'm not sure. Our local skip company charges £200 for a skip and we can get a huge amount in there. But a hippo bag would be good if you don't have the space for a skip or weren't quite ready to use it.

Which size HIPPOBAG did you use?
I was allocated a Hippo skip bag which was huge!!

• What did you use your HIPPOBAG for?

We had a few things to clear from our garage which couldn’t be given to charity such as a broken bench, old cups, broken chairs and a table. Have you ever used one before? No I haven’t.

• What means of waste removal have you used in the past? (skip, going to the tip, man & van etc.)

Going to the tip usually but the beauty of using hippiskip was filled by it up and having it collected so that big bulky items would just be taken away.

• What did you like most about the HIPPOBAG?

The main reasons in the previous question. I found it very convenient personally and had great customer service when I called the company to arrange collection.

• How did you find the collection experience and the overall quality of the service?

It was all very smooth. No trouble and the customer service was really good.

• Based on your experience, would you use HIPPO again in the future? And recommend to friends?

Yes I would and again yes I would. I have now cleared a lovely space in my garage which I just wouldn’t have got round to before having the chance to test this company out. The hipposkip was huge. We could have fitted a lot more stuff in it. The bags are great quality and as long as you can position the bags next to the road I don’t think you’ll have any trouble using them.

Thanks Mumsnet and hippobag for this lovely product test. Now bring on the good weather!!

• Which size HIPPOBAG did you use?

Midibag, the smallest they do.

• What did you use your HIPPOBAG for? Have you ever used one before?

I was going to use it for rubbish from taking down a shed but it wasn't big enough, I would have had to saw all the wood up which would have been more hassle than going to the tip. However I managed to fill it with soil from a flower bed I had dug out, some buts of the shed and a few broken garden toys.

• What means of waste removal have you used in the past? (skip, going to the tip, man & van etc.)

Only going to the tip however our local tip not charges for soil and anything they consider 'construction waste'

• What did you like most about the HIPPOBAG?

Convenient delivery folded up so easy to store until we needed it, despite being the smallest size it was a bit bigger than expected when it arrived.

• How did you find the collection experience and the overall quality of the service?

Collection was easy, person on the phone was helpful and I didn't need to be home when it was collected (although I was)

• Based on your experience, would you use HIPPO again in the future? And recommend to friends? I would however it would have been more helpful to have more info about how much stuff you could put in it. There is a weight limit on each bag and while it said it was very hard to go over the weight limit as I was filling it with water logged soil I was concerned I was going over the weight limit. Also the bag ended up misshappen a bit, I should have put wood around the outside then filled soil in the middle so I knew I wasn't over filling it. So some tips on filling it would be good! I certainly would consider this again if I was doing a big project rather than a skip as it was very convenient and didn't take up much space in my front garden, unlike a skip which would have needed to go on the drive.

• Which size HIPPOBAG did you use?

Midibag - smallest in the range at 90x90x90cm and holds up to 1 tonne. Could have done with bigger but I don't think I properly described how much I'd need to get rid of! The price was £99.99 and I do think the last skip I got was better value but I did get it on an offer at the time.

• What did you use your HIPPOBAG for? Have you ever used one before?

First time using one. We had a single memory foam mattress to dispose of and some broken garden furniture mainly. (We were advised that mattresses incur a surcharge which was very kindly waived for the product test)

• What means of waste removal have you used in the past? (skip, going to the tip, man & van etc.)

We're no strangers to tip runs and have had a skip out twice.

• What did you like most about the HIPPOBAG?

It just turned up one day like any other parcel! No faffing about moving cars around because a skips turned up before you're ready to receive it.

• How did you find the collection experience and the overall quality of the service?

Brilliant, the lovely woman we spoke to on the phone had excellent telephone manners, we called it in at 3pm and it was gone within 24 hours!

• Based on your experience, would you use HIPPO again in the future? And recommend to friends? Definitely, it seems to be quite the game changer. The whole thing was problem-free.

I had a Megabag.

I used it for garden waste. I have never used one before.

I've been to the tip in the past.

I liked the convenience of it - both the delivery and the collection.

The collection was so easy. The lady on the phone was friendly and helpful, explaining what was going to happen. I liked that I didn't need to be in as well. They texted me to say the exact day they were collecting and when I came back from work it was gone - as promised.

I would definitely recommend it but not sure if I'd use it again as I found it difficult to get the he sides to stop caving in everytime I put something in it.