Skip to main content

You can take recyclable and non-recyclable household waste to the Re-use and Recycling Centre if you live in Royal Greenwich.

Who can visit 

You can use the site to get rid of household waste if you live in the Royal Borough of Greenwich.

You will need to show you live in the borough when you arrive so take a valid driving licence or Council Tax bill as proof of address. These must be original documents. Photocopies will not be accepted. If you're bringing a Council Tax bill, the date must not be older than 3 months of the visit.

If you do not bring proof of address, we will not be able to accept any waste items.

When to visit

  • Monday to Friday, 8am to 6.30pm
  • Saturdays, 8am to 5pm
  • Sundays and bank holidays, 9am to 4.30pm

Last entry to the site is 15 minutes before closing time.

Our busiest times are between 11am and 3pm. The quietest time is when the centre first opens.

Find the centre

Re-use and Recycling Centre
Nathan Way
London SE28 0AF

Vehicles you can use for your visit

The Re-use and Recycling Centre is accessible to residents in a car and on a bike/motorbike. Residents on foot can bring items to the gate staff at the entrance who will dispose of the items into the correct bays.

Vehicles you cannot use for your visit 

Commercial vehicles will not be allowed on site. These include: 

  • vans (including hired vans) 
  • pick up trucks 
  • vehicles that do not have windows in all panels 
  • minibuses 
  • trailers towed by vehicles that have more than one axle or a load length of more than 1.5 metres 

If you hire a van to get rid of waste, you’ll have to take it to the waste transfer station next to the Re-use and Recycling centre. 

You’ll need to pay to get rid of items at the waste transfer station.  

You will not be able to enter the site without safety equipment. You must wear a hard hat, high-visibility vest or coat, safety boots and full length trousers (not shorts or 3/4 lengths). 

Items you can take to the Re-use and Recycling Centre

There are different containers at the centre for: 

  • Aerosols 
  • Books, DVDs and CDs 
  • Clothing and shoes 
  • Cans (food and drink) 
  • Car batteries 
  • Cardboard 
  • Carpet 
  • Cooking oil 
  • Engine oil
  • Food and drink cartons
  • Fridges and freezers 
  • Furniture 
  • Garden waste (not plastic items or bags) 
  • Glass bottles and jars 
  • Hard plastics (for example plastic garden furniture) 
  • Household batteries 
  • Large appliances (for example televisions, cookers and washing machines) 
  • Light bulbs and fluorescent tubes 
  • Mattresses 
  • Metals 
  • Non-recyclable household waste (use for carpets)
  • Plastic bottles 
  • Small electrical appliances (for example: kettles, toasters, laptops, hairdryers) 
  • Toys and board games 
  • Wood and timber 

See a full list of what to take to the re-use and recycling centre

Or use our directory of recycling to check where to recycle, donate or get rid of items.

Items we limit  

There is a limit on the amount of some items that you can get rid of at the centre.

These include: 

  • asbestos (three sheets per visit, one visit per month; it must be triple-wrapped in plastic and sealed with tape) 
  • hard-core and rubble (five bags per visit, one visit per month) 
  • plasterboard (five sheets per visit, one visit per month) 
  • tyres (three per visit, one visit per month)

There is a limit on the number of some items that you can get rid of at the centre. You can visit the Reuse and Recycling Centre 4 times in 4 weeks for Do it Yourself (DIY) home repairs. On each visit, you can take either:

  • 2 large rubble bags, which can each contain 50 litres of rubble
  • 1 bulky or fitted item no larger than 2000mm x 750mm x 700mm, such as a bath tub

Only the householder, not a tradesperson or contractor doing the work, can bring in this waste.

Other items we limit:

  • asbestos (three sheets per visit, one visit per month; it must be triple-wrapped in plastic and sealed with tape)
  • plasterboard (five sheets per visit, one visit per month)
  • tyres (three per visit, one visit per month)

Items you cannot take to the centre 

We do not accept commercial waste or hazardous waste. Find out how to get rid of hazardous waste 

You must take commercial waste to a licensed waste transfer station. Find out more about how to get rid of commercial waste.

Changes to the way we dispose of some flammable items

We now separate some items from the rest of the waste we take at the Reuse and Recycling Centre. This is because they contain Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) which have been used to make upholstered furniture flame-retardant. 

You can still bring these items to the centre but our gate staff will help you put them in a special POPs bay:

  • Bean bags
  • Floor and sofa cushions
  • Upholstered kitchen and diniing room chairs
  • Office chairs
  • Sofas and armchairs (including leather)
  • Sofa beds
  • Upholstered stools

Get more information about POPs and how we will dispose of them.

Site rules 

We do not accept any verbal or physical abuse towards the staff at the Re-use and Recycling Centre.  

When you visit the site, you must: 

  • respect our staff who will be on site to help you during your visit 
  • not remove any items from the site 
  • keep animals and children in your vehicle at all times 
  • not smoke on site 
  • not move items from a van to a car 
  • not enter the site on foot