From Tuesday 1 October, Dorset residents will be able to visit their local household recycling centre (HRC, or ‘the tip’) daily from 10am until 4pm.
Entry is still free of charge, with the vast majority of items still free to drop-off.
The Dorset Waste Partnership (DWP) operates two sets of opening hours at all their 11 HRCs throughout the year, based on demand for services, cost-savings and health and safety practices. This effectively means shorter periods during the winter and longer opening hours throughout the summer.
HRCs are open daily all year, except for Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.
The overwhelming majority of items taken to these HRCs continue to be accepted free of charge, including but not limited to:-
. Furniture (including sofas, mattresses etc.)
. Small and large electrical items (inc. fridges, freezers, washing machines, dishwashers etc.)
. Wood and timber
. Metals
. Clothing and textiles
. Garden waste
Glass, paper, plastic, cardboard, newspapers and magazines should be recycled using the Recycle for Dorset kerbside service, but all these materials are also accepted at HRCs free of charge.
There are a few materials that incur a modest charge at the HRCs, but this is easily payable on site by all popular payment methods. The charges go directly toward the running of the sites and maintaining the service for all residents.
There are no fees for entry to the HRCs, although van drivers should check to see if they need to apply for a permit before visiting. This is a quick and simple process online, with an immediate approval in most cases.
Commercial waste (waste produced from commercial activity) is not accepted at the HRCs, with the exception of Swanage, Sherborne and Blandford, which accept commercial waste with restrictions at certain times of the week.
The household recycling centre winter hours will remain in place until Wednesday 1 April 2020, when they will change back to 9am to 6pm daily for the summer period.
So if you have items that cannot be reused or recycled at the kerbside, we encourage all Dorset residents to make use of these free facilities. It saves your local council money that can be spent on essential services and helps protect the environment.
Further information on all the DWP’s HRCs can be found at www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/recycling-centres
