Central Bedfordshire tips and recycling centres

Central Bedfordshire Council runs 4 household waste recycling centres. You need to book a slot before visiting any of them.

Booking a Central Bedfordshire tip

Book a free 20-minute slot online, up to 2 weeks ahead; give the correct registration so the barrier opens.

Book a slot with Central Bedfordshire

Opening times

Central Bedfordshire tips and their opening hours
Tip Open
Ampthill (book first) Mon to Sun 9am to 5pm
Biggleswade (book first) Mon to Sun 9am to 5pm
Leighton Buzzard (book first) Mon to Sun 9am to 5pm
Thorn Turn (Houghton Regis) (book first) Mon to Sun 9am to 5pm

What Central Bedfordshire tips take

Aluminium cans · Car batteries · Cardboard · Carpet & underlay · Cooking oil · DIY waste · Electrical appliances · Gas bottles · Glass bottles and jars · Household batteries · Lightbulbs, including fluorescent tubes · Newspaper and paper · Green garden waste · Household furniture · Mattresses · Paint and paint tins · Printer ink cartridges · Scrap metal · Shoes and textiles · Soil · Tyres · Used engine oil · Vapes · Wood · Hard plastics

Listed for most Central Bedfordshire tips. Each tip's page says what it takes.

Vans, trailers and permits

  • Vans: Vans and pick-ups need a free waste permit (one visit per permit, up to 12 permits a year); vans and pick-ups towing trailers are not permitted.
  • Trailers: Cars towing a single-axle trailer from 1.2m x 0.9m up to 1.8m x 1.2m (up to 60cm high, covered) need a permit.

Apply for a Central Bedfordshire permit

Before you visit any Central Bedfordshire tip

  • Tyres are charged per tyre and need a waste permit. No price is quoted here because the council's own pages give two different figures; check with the council.
  • A waste permit (requested when booking) is also needed for mattresses (2 a year), carpet and underlay (2 visits a year), DIY waste (up to 6 items a month) and used engine oil (max 20 litres a visit).
  • Fridges and freezers are not currently accepted.
  • Asbestos, trade waste and large lithium (e-bike/e-scooter) batteries are not accepted.

Bin collection days nearby

Central Bedfordshire

Read from centralbedfordshire.gov.uk on 2 October 2026.