Recycling centres (tips)
Your local household waste recycling centre (HWRC) or tip, is the place to recycle and dispose of household waste.
Please follow government guidance when visiting our sites and be aware that there may be long wait times. Use the map on this page to plan your visit. To understand the measures in place to make our recycling centres Covid-secure, and what you need to do when you visit, see Visiting a recycling centre (tip) - Covid19 information.
Check how busy your recycling centre is
Check the map or table below to see how busy your local recycling centre is before you set off. You can also see whether the recycling centre is open or closed.
Where a recycling centre has a red dot, this indicates a 30 minute waiting time or more (you can click on the dot to see this). We recommend that you postpone your trip - or visit another recycling centre close by.
Map legend
Currently no queues
10-30 minutes estimated waiting time
30 minutes plus waiting time
Closed - out of hours
Emergency closure
What you can dispose of at a recycling centre
Household waste
Recycling centres are for household waste only. You can take the following items to all of our recycling centres:
- soil and rubble
- wood and plasterboard
- garden waste
- scrap metal
- gas bottles
- waste oil and car batteries
- tyres (maximum of 5 tyres)
- household batteries
- TV's and monitors
- fridges and electrical appliances
- fluorescent light tubes
- paper and cardboard ( only wrapping paper and card without foil and glitter can be recycled)
- cans and glass
- plastics and cartons
- textiles and shoes
- cooking oil
- general waste and carpets (accepted on site, but not separated for recycling)
- asbestos, household and garden chemicals (permit required)
Cat litter, human and animal poo: this must be double bagged, sealed and separate from other rubbish for health and safety reasons, or we can't accept it. You must tell staff if you have this waste and they will direct you where to put it.
Staff on site may ask you about the type and quantity of waste you are disposing of if they think it could be business or landlord waste.
Hazardous waste
You can take chemicals (eg bleach), gloss or lead based paints or sprays, or asbestos AnnfieldPlain, Horden, Romanway and Tudhoe recycling centres. Before you set off you must apply for a waste permit for household hazardous waste.
Waste from allotments
Waste from allotments is classed as commercial waste which means it is illegal to dispose of it at a Household Waste Recycling Centre (tip). See Commercial and trade waste services we offer for more information.
Business and landlord waste
It is against the law for waste from businesses and landlords to be disposed of at a recycling centre. See Commercial and trade waste services we offer to see how you can dispose of your waste.
Do you need a permit?
There are some instances where you will need a permit:
- Only certain types of vehicles can enter a recycling centre. Find out if your vehicle is ok and, if not, how to apply for a garden and household waste permit.
- Chemicals and hazardous materials like paint, asbestos and bleach must be disposed of carefully - apply for a waste permit for household hazardous waste
Personal data
HWRCs do not offer secure data removal or confidentiality of data, therefore it is your responsibility to ensure your data is removed before depositing any item for recycling or reuse. Items include electronic and mobile devices as well as paper documents.
