Swindon Road recycling centre

New opening hours from February 2023

As of February 2023 there are new opening hours at the household recycling centre (HRC).

Times may vary over bank holidays. Please check the bank holiday collections page for any changes to your kerbside collections.

On occasion the gates to the site have to close before the advertised time on the website but the site is still operational until the advertised opening time. This is to allow any cars that might be in the queue on the access road to the HRC to unload their waste and recycling on the site before the site is required to close. This is a requirement of our waste permit for the site.

We would ask that all members of the public are polite to site staff who will report verbal abuse or threats of violence to the police along with relevant CCTV footage.

Household recycling centre opening hours
Day of the week Opening hours
Monday 8.30am - 4pm
Tuesday 8.30am - 4pm
Wednesday Closed in line with Gloucestershire County Council sites
Thursday 8.30am - 4pm
Friday 8.30am - 4pm
Saturday 8.30am - 3pm
Sunday 9am - 12 noon
  • The household recycling centre is for Cheltenham residents only and proof of residency will be required on entry to the site.
  • Whilst using the site please use the walkways provided around the perimeter of the parking bays
  • If you require assistance due to disability or mobility issues please notify a member of staff upon arrival who will be happy to assist. Alternatively, please bring a family member or friend to assist if possible.

Please make full use of your kerbside waste collection service. You can recycle card, paper, glass, plastic pots, tubs and trays and also tins and cans at home, including food waste and garden waste. For further details visit our waste and recycling page.


Recycling centre information

The recycling centre in Swindon Road has facilities for disposing of your household waste.

Address

Central Depot, Swindon Road, Cheltenham, GL51 9JZ.

You can contact the recycling centre on 01242 262626 or email cleansing@cheltenham.gov.uk. Lines are open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.

Staff are on site to help if you need any assistance.

Vans, trailers and large loads

Vans/pickup trucks, whether or not privately owned, are not permitted. Small household trailers are accepted but must not be detached from the vehicle, so the items will need to be liftable. Staff on site are happy to assist with unloading large domestic appliances, however please note 1 tonne builders bags are not accepted on this site.

If you have a large load, you may find it easier to use the county council recycling centre at Wingmoor Farm, Bishop's Cleeve. The site is better equipped and has more capacity to receive large loads of household waste. The site also accepts types of waste not permitted at Swindon Road, such as DIY rubble.

Cargo bikes

Cargo bikes are permitted to access the Household Recycling Centre. Cyclists will be treated the same as vehicles. Cyclists must join the vehicle queue and wait to be admitted by a member of staff. Attempting to jump the vehicle queue will not be tolerated and may result in your access being refused. Please park your bicycle in a marked parking bay as directed by site staff and be aware of other vehicles when moving around the site. We recommend that you wear high visibility clothing when manoeuvring around the site on your bicycle.

Location map

View Swindon Road recycling centre on Google maps<!-- rel:snippet -->

What can I recycle at Swindon Road?

Items accepted for recycling at the Swindon Road recycling centre
Yes please No thanks
Mixed plastics

All types of plastic bottles: milk/squash/drinks bottles; cleaning/bleach/detergent bottles; toiletry bottles.

Yoghurt pots, margarine tubs, ice cream tubs, ready-meal trays and plastic fruit punnets.

Please rinse out bottles and containers and squash.

Plastic bags or cling film (or any other kind of film), polystyrene
Hard plastics

Plastic garden furniture, plastic storage crates and boxes, plastics buckets and pipes, plastic sheeting that you see on sheds and greenhouses, and plastic buckets

Items with electronics, batteries or glass

Items containing metal, such as children's toys

Paint pots

Items containing chemicals, such as chemical toilet cassettes 

Mixed glass bottles and jars Clean glass jars, glass bottles (all colours) Window panes, glass milk bottles
Mixed textiles, clothing and shoes Please place clothes and shoes in separate containers  
Cartons Cartons such as those for fruit juice and long life milk. Please rinse out and flatten  
Video tapes, DVD's Video cassettes and DVD accepted  
Wood and timber   Please remove large pieces of iron mongery, for example latches, hinges and bolts
Garden waste   1 tonne builders bags are not accepted on site
Large domestic appliances Only washing machines, dishwashers, electric cookers, and tumble dryers (non-heat pump) - must be domestic only Heat pump tumble dryers should be placed with the cooling (refrigeration) waste stream
Fluorescent tubes    
Fridges and freezers/Cooling (refrigeration) Fridges, freezers and heat pump tumble dryers - must be domestic only No commercial fridges accepted
Batteries Household batteries, car batteries  
Low energy bulbs    
Small electrical items Such as television sets, microwaves, video/DVD recorders, radios, desk fans, electric heaters  
Food tins and drink cans Food tins, drink cans, pet food cans, empty aerosol cans, aluminium food trays and foil. Please rinse out and squash Dirty cans/food trays, pet food pouches, crisp packets, paint tins
Aluminium foil Aluminium food trays and foil. Please make sure they are clean. Dirty food trays/foil
Scrap metal    
Paper Newspapers, magazines, shredded paper, junk mail, telephone directories, catalogues, white office paper, envelopes (plastic windows can be left in place) Wet or dirty paper, wallpaper, wrapping paper or gift wrap, books
Used engine oil    
Used cooking oil    
Cardboard Please flatten boxes and remove plastic film  
Coffee pods    
Mattresses    

Items that cannot be accepted at the recycling centre:

  • DIY and builders' rubble, including asbestos or plaster board
  • books
  • tyres
  • paint
  • gas bottles
  • car parts
  • hazardous waste including asbestos
  • clinical waste
  • animal waste
  • trade waste
  • commercial waste
  • toilets
  • hand basins

Please note 1 tonne builders bags are not accepted on site.

Other household recycling centres

Visit the Recycle for Gloucestershire website to find out about other recycling centres in the county.