A skip hire works for general household waste, but fridges are not general waste. Most skip companies will reject them outright because of the refrigerant inside—removing it safely requires training and equipment. The council's bulky waste collection may take your fridge, but lead times are often weeks, and you'll need to book in advance and ensure access on the day.
Professional fridge removal company services differ in speed and compliance. A licensed fridge removal operator collects the appliance, handles refrigerant degassing on-site or at an approved facility, and provides a waste transfer note as proof of safe disposal. You avoid the cost and hassle of a skip, and the wait time of council collection. The trade-off is a smaller footprint (one trip, one item) versus bulk collection, and a fixed removal cost rather than an hourly hire.
For a single fridge or fridge-freezer, removal by a domestic fridge removal specialist is usually faster and more straightforward than either alternative, especially if you need same-day fridge removal.
