What you can take to a household recycling centre

Use our Waste Wizard to find out where you can recycle, reuse or repair household items.

Household waste

You can take many household items to a recycling centre for free. This includes:

  • aerosols
  • batteries
  • car batteries (up to 2 per year)
  • carpet
  • clothing and textiles
  • cooking oil
  • fluorescent tubes - up to 4 fluorescent tubes per year
  • furniture - including broken up or dismantled furniture
  • garden waste
  • gas bottles
  • general waste
  • large electrical appliances, for example fridges or cookers
  • mattresses
  • paint - if hardened (paint can be hardened by adding paint hardener, sand, sawdust or soil)
  • paper and cardboard
  • small electrical appliances for example a toaster or printer
  • televisions and monitors
  • waste engine oil – up to 10 litres per year

DIY waste (non-household)

If you apply for a DIY waste permit, you can dispose of a certain amount of DIY waste for free.

DIY waste refers to waste that is generated from work on your home or garden, including:

  • hardcore and rubble (for example tiles, bricks, stones, soil, turf)
  • timber (for example fence or shed panels, door, skirting board)
  • bathroom fittings (for example bath tub, tiles, toilet, taps, shower tray, sink)
  • kitchen fittings (for example units, worktop, tiles, sink)
  • plumbing and heating (for example boiler, log burner, radiator, fire place, pipes/guttering)
  • roofing materials (for example insulation, roofing felt)
  • windows and doors

Some of our centres also accept hazardous household waste, for example:

  • asbestos
  • plasterboard

View recycling centres that accept hazardous household waste.

What DIY waste you can dispose of for free

If you apply for a permit, you can visit a household recycling centre and dispose of either of the following for free:

  • 2 x 50 litre bags worth of DIY waste
  • 1 large item of DIY waste (2m x 0.75m x 0.7m)

These are examples of total size. You can bring waste in smaller bags or broken up but the staff on site will have the final decision on what is accepted.

Fees for extra DIY waste

Find out what DIY waste we accept and how much it will cost if you bring more than the free allowance or don't have a permit.

View a print version of the full price list PDF, 174 KB.

All prices below are inclusive of VAT.

Fees for any DIY waste items not specifically listed will be decided by staff on site, based on the current price list. The decision of site staff is final.

How to pay

If you wish to dispose of more waste than the free allowance, show the DIY waste items to staff on site. They will work out how much you need to pay.

You can pay by:

  • credit card
  • debit card
  • pre-paid payment card

Cash is not accepted.

What you can't take to a household recycling centre

You can't dispose of the following items at a household recycling centre:

  • dead animals, carcasses and faeces
  • large quantities of animal bedding (allow 1 to 2 bags per week from small domestic pets, must be double bagged).
  • materials presenting a direct contact risk
  • tree trunks and branches thicker than 20cm and or longer than 2m
  • flammables and explosives, such as fireworks or ammunition
  • storage heaters containing asbestos (pre 1980 or models with SR the end of the model number)

View disposing of hazardous waste.

If you are a trader or business

Other ways to dispose of DIY waste

There are many ways to donate, reuse or dispose of DIY waste. Use the SCRAP code to make sure your waste is dealt with properly.

You could:

  • sell or donate items using online sites like eBay, Facebook Marketplace of Freegle
  • hire a skip if you're carrying out a large project
  • pay a contractor to dispose of your waste (make sure they follow the SCRAP code to dispose of your waste legally)