Eltham Household Waste and Tip Guide: Thamesmead Recycling Centre, Bulky Waste and Hazardous Items

This guide covers the council's recycling centre, which Eltham residents use, and the collection services for items that do not fit in your bins. All details are as published by the Royal Borough of Greenwich on the pages linked, so check them before you set off.

Where is the nearest tip for Eltham?

The council's Reuse and Recycling Centre page gives the site address as Nathan Way, Thamesmead, SE28 0AF. The council's pages do not name a closer recycling centre inside SE9. The council's recycling and reducing your waste page also links to a directory of where to recycle, donate or get rid of items, and to a list of recycling sites in Royal Greenwich, which is worth checking for smaller items such as textiles or batteries.

What are the opening hours?

As published by the council, the centre is open:

• Weekdays, 8am to 6:30pm
• Saturdays, 8am to 5pm
• Sundays and bank holidays, 9am to 4:30pm

The council says you must arrive 15 minutes before closing time.

Do I need to book a slot?

The page says no advance booking is required; access is walk-in during opening hours. That could change, so look at the page before you go.

What do I need to bring?

The council asks for proof that you live in the borough. Per its page, that means a valid UK driving licence or valid passport (the physical document, not a photocopy or a screenshot), plus either a council tax bill from the current financial year or a utility bill from the last three months.

The page also lists safety equipment you must wear on site: a hard hat, high-visibility vest, safety boots, full-length trousers and goggles.

What can I take?

The council lists items including fridges, freezers, furniture, mattresses, large appliances such as TVs, cookers and washing machines, and car batteries, and points to a full list on its directory. Read the full list before loading the car.

Can I use a van or pickup?

The council says commercial vehicles are not allowed, including vans (even hired ones), pickup trucks, minibuses and certain trailers. It says hired vans must use the adjacent waste transfer station, where charges apply. The page does not state what the charges are, so ask the council or check the page.

Can the council collect large items from my door?

Yes. The council runs a bulky waste collection service. As published, the charges are £13.82 per item, or £4.19 per bag with a minimum charge of £16.76 (a minimum of four bags and a maximum of five). Council tenants have the fee included in their service charge. Items it names include furniture, domestic household boilers, bed frames and bases, mattresses, doors, and electrical items such as fridges, freezers, TVs, washing machines and hoovers. Sets, such as a sofa set or a table and chairs, count as one item.

Rules from the same page:

• Put items at the front of your property by 6am on the appointment day, without blocking the pavement or road.
• Crews can only collect from the front of the property, not from rear gardens, gated areas or hard-to-reach spots.
• Hazardous waste (chemicals and paint), clinical waste (sharps) and business waste are not accepted.
• To cancel for a refund, call 020 8921 4661 at least 48 hours before your appointment.

You book through the form on the council page.

What about hazardous and clinical waste?

The council's household waste page lists separate services to book a hazardous waste collection (for items such as bleach, weed killer and household cleaning products, as named on the council's bins page) and to request a clinical waste collection (for items such as syringes and needles). Follow the links from that page to book. Do not put these in your normal bins.

Related guides

For normal weekly collections, see our bin collection days guide. To report dumped rubbish, see how to report a problem in Eltham.