Swindon Road recycling centre

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Who can visit

Cheltenham Borough Council’s household recycling centres is provided so that residents who live in the borough can dispose of their rubbish and recycling.

To be able to visit you must:

  • Live within the area covered by Cheltenham Borough Council
  • Provide proof of residency on entry to the site, such as a recent council tax or utility bill

Opening hours

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 pm

Last entry

Please be aware that the household recycling centre must close on the hour. In order to have the site cleared and gates locked, last entry on a typical day is:

  • 15 - 30 minutes before closing, depending on the length of the queue on the entrance road to the site.

On particularly busy days these times may be earlier.

Please bear these time restrictions in mind if attempting to visit a site towards the end of the opening hours.

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

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.

Location map

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.

Before your visit

Please check the household recycling centre opening hours before your visit.

Proof you live in Cheltenham:

  • The household recycling centre is for Cheltenham residents only and proof of residency will be required on entry to the site, such as a recent council tax or utility bill

Prepare your rubbish and recycling:

  • Sort your waste by type so that is easy and quick to unload at the site
  • Break your rubbish and recycling down to be lighter and less bulky
  • Use strong bags or containers so that waste is easier to hold and carry

Last entry

Please be aware that the household recycling centre must close on the hour. In order to have sites cleared and gates locked, last entry on a typical day is:

  • 15 - 30 minutes before closing depending on the length of the queue on the entrance road to the site.

On particularly busy days these times may be earlier.

Please bear these time restrictions in mind if attempting to visit a site towards the end of the opening hours.

Keep yourself safe

You can take simple steps to keep yourself safe and reduce the risk of injury. You should:

  • Wear suitable clothing and sensible footwear
  • Wear strong gloves
  • Use both hands to carry items

When you visit

Once inside our site

When you enter the site please:

  • Follow the one way system of traffic
  • Stay in your car if there is a queue to enter
  • Park in the bays provided and allocated by site staff
  • 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
  • Children under the age of 16 must remain within the vehicle

Residents using this recycling centre site do so at their own risk and are expected to follow the pedestrian walkways and the instructions provided by the centre staff.

Zero tolerance policy

The household recycling centre operates a zero tolerance policy with regards to violence and aggression. Please be polite and respectful to site staff at all times. Any physical or verbal abuse of our staff will not be tolerated. Anyone found to be abusive towards our staff may be reported to the police along with relevant CCTV footage.

Vehicles

Please check that the vehicle that you plan to use complies with the site rules before visiting. This helps to prevent queues improves safety and reduces delays for other visitors.

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

We allow cargo bikes 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 moving around the site on your bicycle.

No pedestrian access

Pedestrian movement at the household recycling centre is something the site staff monitor on a daily basis to ensure the site is safe for members of the public to access. Whilst every effort has been made to minimise the dangers that are on site, there will always remain a danger of pedestrians or cyclists coming into contact with moving vehicles. Therefore, for health and safetly reasons, we don't allow people to access the Swindon Road household recycling centre on foot. This is in line with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) guidance for pedestrian access which states that the household recycling centre would require ‘separate routes or pavements for pedestrians, to keep them away from vehicles.’ This is not possible at the Swindon Road household recycling centre, as even through there is a footpath that goes into the site, this footpath ends before the entrance to the site and residents would be put in danger of passing motor vehicles.

What can I recycle at Swindon Road?

Items accepted for recycling at the Swindon Road recycling centre
Material 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, soil is 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
  • soil
  • 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.

Ask the waste wizard where to repair, recycle, donate or dispose of your items

Other household recycling centres

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

If you cannot visit a recycling centre

If you cannot visit the household recycling centre or another recycling centre in the county, we offer a paid for bulky waste collection service.

Find out how to book a bulky waste collection