Everything you need to know about our service
Below we cover the most commonly asked questions concerning the free wood chip service. We recommend reading this thoroughly before registered as a tip site.
This will be entirely dependent on the type of vehicle the tree surgeon is operating. As a rule of thumb, tree surgeons generally drive 3.5-ton transit-type trucks which you could expect to hold approximately 5 cubic meters. You should therefore expect this as a minimum, however, once a tree surgeon has contacted you this is your opportunity to discuss the exact quantities being offered.
Signing up as a tip site gives no guarantee of getting wood chips, nor can any time frame be given. This will largely depend on a tree surgeon working nearby and needing a tip site. However, you can improve your chances by following some of the advice here.
No the wood chips are not bagged. If you require bagged wood chips you will need to purchase these from a vendor and pay a premium price for the privilege. All wood chips are delivered loosely tipped on your driveway or another appropriate place that is easily accessible.
Sometimes tree surgeons are working outside of their usual radius and have no regular tip sites that they can use. This may mean having to drive a significant distance back to their base in order to offload their trucks. Therefore it can often make better financial sense to tip the wood chips off for free at a local site, and save the time taken to offload further afield along with the associated fuel costs.
You must have a driveway or other suitable area where the wood chips can be tipped. This service is only free due to the time saving it affords tree surgeons. They MUST be able to turn up, tip, and drive off with minimal hassle. Tip sites must be accessible wit no obstructions.
No they can’t. This rarely works, and even if the fence is low enough only a small fraction of the wood chips will actually be tipped over it. In addition, such tipping increases the risk of damage to property, something which a tree surgeon is not going to want the liability of. Your site must be flat, and fully accessible for a straight forward tip off.
Of course everyone would prefer payment if the offer is there. The tip site locators are marked according to if they are a free or paying site, therefore if there is a paying site nearby it will always be given priority. Price can be set by you at your discretion. Existing sites offer various forms of payment, from cash, beer, wine, to fresh produce from allotments, eggs, etc.
Please make sure you select the right type of tip site when creating a listing to ensure your site is highlighted as a paying site.
If you have concerns over the safety of tree surgery wood chips around animals then it is important you do your own research as to what variety of trees may be harmful. When a tree surgeon contacts you, you can discuss the exact contents of the chip PRIOR to the delivery.
IMPORTANT
Tree surgeons are not vets. Whilst they can advise you what trees they have been chipping, it is solely your responsibility to choose what you do with the wood chips once they have been delivered.
No, you must be able to accept full loads. This service exists for free solely on the basis that it saves tree surgeons time. Delivering part loads simply isn’t viable.
Yes. You have full control over your listing and are able to temporarily hide or delete your listing at any time.