Everyone visiting the Household Recycling Centres are required to pre-book their visit.
This is to minimise queues and congestion on site and to help keep everybody safe.
Please note: as of 1st April 2023 Gloucestershire HRC's ceased collecting vehicle tyres for disposal. Please make arrangements for suitable disposal with an authorised tyre fitter, or tyre disposal company. Bicycle tyres continue to be accepted.
Please note that Swindon Road Household Recycling Centre is operated on behalf of Cheltenham Borough Council and opening times and the materials accepted differ. For more details please visit Swindon Road Recycling Centre.
Below is a list of commonly recycled items we are able to accept at the Household Recycling Centres. For full details why not try out our tool Waste Wizard which can help you dispose of or recycle any item.
Computers and laptops brought to the site will not be securely destroyed. If you are concerned about personal data on your machine it is strongly advised that you remove any hard-drives and securely destroy them before recycling them at our sites.
You can bring other household waste to our centres (e.g. mattresses, sofas, garden furniture, child car seats, duvets etc) but we are unable to recycle it at present.
One bag of bedding (natural materials/fibre only) from herbivore pets can be recycled in the green waste skip, but any extra bags will have to be deposited in the non-recycling skip.
We accept bedding waste generated from other domestic pets which should be deposited in the non-recycling bin, but we will not accept such waste from commercial animal breeders.
You can deposit up to one carrier bag sized amount of dog or cat faeces at any one visit. This must be double bagged, sealed and only placed in the skip for non-recyclable waste.
You shouldn't remove asbestos-containing material yourself - it is a dangerous operation which can result in the release of small asbestos fibres into the air. Breathing in these fibres can eventually lead to a number of fatal diseases. We recommend that you employ a professional and licensed contractor to remove asbestos. Please go to the following website for further information: www.arca.org.uk
Our recycling centres have limited disposal facilities for cement-bonded asbestos which has been removed by householders. To order a set of bags, visit the HRC Household Asbestos form. Once you have received these bags and securely wrapped the asbestos up, please book your visit by calling 01452 596 626 (Tuesday 26 May 2020 onwards).
Please note we only provide a limited number of bags for this purpose and only those bags will be accepted when you deliver these to your nearest Household Recycling Centre.
Call 01452 596 626 for more details if you are having trouble using this online service.
We cannot accept any asbestos removed by a contractor as this is commercial waste.
Any coals or ashes from a barbecue must be cold and only deposited in the rubble bin.
We accept construction and demolition waste arising from work carried out by residents on their own property. We have separate containers on our sites for rubble, soil, wood and plasterboard.
Any waste generated by work carried out by a contractor (eg. a builder, plumber or electrician) is classified as commercial waste and cannot be accepted at our HRCs.
The property in question must be the Gloucestershire resident’s main dwelling – material from other owned properties such as buy-to-let or holiday homes is deemed to be commercial waste and cannot be accepted.
Fire extinguishers up to 2kg in size from a household are accepted at Gloucestershire Household Recycling Centres.
Fire extinguishers larger than 2kg are not domestic fire extinguishers and are regarded as business / commercial waste. If you have one of these cylinders, you should contact the cylinder supplier or a licensed waste management company to arrange its disposal at your own risk and expense.
LPG gas cylinders are the property of the gas supplier and we recommend that they are returned to them where possible.
Please visit www.liquidgasuk.org for more information.
Calor Gas is currently offering £7.50 for empty/unwanted Calor gas bottles if returned directly to a Calor Centre.
We will accept gas bottles/cylinders that have been used for domestic purposes up to 15Kg size.
Helium or Party Balloon gas canisters for home use are accepted free of charge at any Gloucestershire Household Recycling Centre. Follow the manufacturer's advice to ensure the cylinder is safely emptied before disposal. Commercial and industrial size helium cylinders are not accepted.
All recycling centres have a chemical bank for your containers of household/garden chemicals and tins of oil and solvent-based paint.
These can be put in the household chemical bank.
When bringing chemicals or thermometers to our sites please speak to a member of staff who will open the chemical bank for you.
If you have mobility equipment you no longer require, you may be able to arrange a free collection by contacting the equipment supplier. Look for a label on the equipment for details of the supplier, contact them to arrange a collection.
Gloucestershire County Council use GIS Healthcare to provide mobility equipment to help individuals maintain their independence and remain in their own home. If you have mobility equipment supplied by the council/GIS which you no longer need please contact them to organise a free collection:
Telephone 01452 520438 (8.30 until 4.30) Monday to Friday
Email GISHealthcareCustomerServ@gloucestershire.gov.uk
Alternatively you can bring the equipment along to one of our Household Recycling Centres (Booking required) where the equipment can be collected and sent for refurbishment.
If you have unwanted paint tins that are full, please consider donating it for re-use. See the Community RePaint website for more details.
If bringing paints to your local recycling centre please see a member of staff on advice where to deposit them.
Please do not bring any of the following to our recycling centres:
You should always thoroughly dampen old or unwanted fireworks in a bucket of water for 24 hours and then deposit in your refuse wheeled bin. However, if you have too many for your bin, they may, once thoroughly soaked, be brought for disposal at the recycling centre.
Contact Gloucestershire Police on 101 for advice on the disposal of explosives and/or live or misfired cartridges. DO NOT dispose of live or misfired cartridges through domestic waste, burial or burning – it is illegal and dangerous.
You should take any old or unwanted maritime flares to your local police station for disposal. Please phone 101 for further assistance.
Each year the brewing industry loses many millions of pounds through the theft and misappropriation of beer kegs and casks. Keg Watch is the organisation committed to reducing these losses. Keg Watch operates a confidential free phone line for any general queries or information you may have, call them on 0808 100 1945 or visit www.kegwatch.co.uk
Vehicle tyres are no longer be accepted for disposal at Gloucestershire Household Recycling Centres. Please make arrangements for suitable disposal with an authorised tyre fitter, or tyre disposal company.
Bicycle tyres continue to be accepted.
We will accept old car batteries.
You should take all other car parts e.g. engines and gearboxes, bodywork and bumpers to a local vehicle dismantler's yard.
Hazardous clinical waste, such as needles and dialysis waste, will not be accepted at the Household Recycling Centres.
Hazardous waste such as syringes, diabetic needles and lancets post a significant health risk and need to be disposed of safely. Do not place diabetic needles, syringes or lancets in any general refuse sacks or bins - you may not only be risking your own health but that of the operatives that pick up the waste.
Using a special sharps box is the safest way to dispose of hypodermic needles. These are available on prescription from your local GP surgery or can be purchased directly from the pharmacy at a small cost. Once full, boxes must be returned sealed to either your local surgery or to one of the pharmacies in Gloucestershire participating in the take-back scheme. Please find below a list of pharmacies which are currently included in the syringe 'take back' scheme:
Pharmacies participating in the take-back scheme
If you have dialysis waste, please contact your local council. Normally the council is notified that you require a dialysis waste collection through the hospital treating you. However, if you are unsure about how your collections will take place please ring.
Businesses must only use Environment Agency-approved disposal facilities which remove all ozone-depleting substances that may be present in the cooling system or insulating foam. Get more information about disposing of commercial waste.
Due to the size and hazardous nature of the residue contents, please contact either your local supplier or the original tank supplier to arrange disposal.
Try offering your unwanted caravan, boat or shed for re-use. Otherwise, search online for more information on local car and commercial vehicle dismantlers, scrap metal merchants and boat breakers. See also Scrapping your vehicle and insurance write-offs
Residents should be using bulk bag services offered from local DIY stores or skip hire for substantial gardening and landscape works such as removal of large tree stumps, large stones/boulders and large quantities of soil.
Invasive weeds such as Japanese Knotweed must not be
These weeds are persistent; they will survive the composting process and infest areas where the compost is used.
GOV.UK provides detailed information about preventing harmful weeds and invasive non-native plants spreading.
Please contact a local septic tank supplier to arrange disposal.
Business/commercial waste needs to be disposed of at a licensed disposal site or by a licensed waste carrier.