Sussex recycling centres and tips: booking rules, opening times, charges and what changed in 2026

Taking rubbish to the tip in Sussex is no longer as simple as assuming every recycling centre works in the same way. East Sussex now requires bookings for every visit, West Sussex has its own Book to Recycle system, while Brighton & Hove’s two household waste sites do not currently require advance booking.

In East Sussex, a booking system introduced in November 2025 means residents must reserve a slot before visiting any of the county council’s 10 household waste recycling sites.

West Sussex also operates a booking system for vehicle visits, but under different rules, including a limit of five booked visits per household each calendar month. The county’s mobile recycling centres are excluded from the general booking requirement.

Brighton & Hove is different again. The city has household waste recycling sites at Hove and Whitehawk and does not currently operate an equivalent advance-booking system for ordinary visits.

There are also different rules covering vans, trailers, pedestrians, non-residents and chargeable waste, so checking the authority responsible for the site can prevent a wasted journey.

Sussex recycling centres at a glance

Information updated on 26 September 2026. Opening hours, charges, temporary closures and access arrangements can change. Check the relevant council’s current information before travelling.

East Sussex: every trip to the tip now needs a booking

East Sussex County Council’s household waste recycling site booking system came into operation on 24 November 2025, making 2026 the first full year under the new arrangements.

Visitors must book before using any of the council’s 10 household waste recycling sites. An opening time is not permission to arrive whenever you choose: you should attend within your booked slot.

East Sussex recycling centre opening times

The table below lists the council’s published normal opening hours. Follow each centre’s link for its current notices, accepted materials and access information.

Opening hours checked on 26 September 2026. Sites marked with an asterisk are displaying their 1 April to 30 September timetable. Their winter hours are explained immediately below the table. Bank holidays and special closures may have different arrangements.

Eastbourne source note: the council’s site page publishes an 8.30am weekday opening, while Veolia’s directory lists 9am. The table follows the council’s published timetable. Check the booking calendar for your visit.

East Sussex winter opening hours

For 1 October to 31 March, site operator Veolia publishes the following winter hours for the six seasonally changing sites.

Check the council’s centre page and booking calendar for the date you intend to visit, particularly around seasonal changes and bank holidays.

Hailsham access notice: when the opening-hours information was checked, the council was warning that roadworks on Old Swan Road could prevent access from Mill Road. Its Hailsham site notice recommends approaching via Station Road while that disruption continues.

How far ahead can you book an East Sussex tip visit?

Bookings can be made up to two weeks in advance, and same-day bookings are possible where slots remain available.

East Sussex does not impose a standard monthly visit limit on residents in the way West Sussex does. The council monitors use and reserves the right to restrict bookings if necessary, including where it suspects household sites are being used for commercial waste.

The booking requirement also applies to pedestrians and cyclists where the individual site’s access arrangements allow them. Booking as a pedestrian or cyclist does not override a site’s access restrictions.

Why did East Sussex introduce bookings?

The scheme followed a public consultation held between 28 October and 22 December 2024.

In its published consultation response, East Sussex County Council said the proposed system was intended to manage queues and traffic, reduce misuse by traders and control use by non-residents. The proposal also formed part of its work to identify savings.

The council reported 5,992 consultation responses, with 91% of respondents feeling negatively about using a booking system. It identified inconvenience and difficulty fitting bookings around work and other commitments as the main reasons given. These figures describe consultation respondents, not a representative survey of every East Sussex resident.

The proposal was approved in February 2025 and the system became operational that November. Residents who previously drove directly to Lewes, Newhaven, Eastbourne, Mountfield or another East Sussex site now need to book first.

East Sussex now charges people from outside the county

People who do not live in the East Sussex County Council area can use its recycling sites, but must currently pay £8.75 per visit as well as making a booking. The council says payment is taken by debit or credit card on the day.

Brighton & Hove is a separate council area. A Brighton & Hove address is therefore not an East Sussex County Council resident address for these recycling-site rules.

Drivers should use the correct postcode and vehicle information when booking rather than assuming that living somewhere in Sussex makes them an East Sussex resident.

There is an exception for an out-of-area driver helping to dispose of an East Sussex resident’s waste. The council waives the non-resident fee in that situation, subject to its booking and identification requirements. The arrangements are explained in the section on helping family and friends below.

See the council’s residency requirements and non-resident charging rules before travelling across a council boundary.

What can you take to an East Sussex tip for free?

For East Sussex residents, most ordinary household waste and recycling can continue to be taken to the sites without a disposal charge, subject to the normal site rules. Non-resident entry charges are separate from any charges for particular materials.

Some DIY and construction-type materials are treated differently. East Sussex provides a limited free allowance for certain household DIY waste before charges apply.

The council defines a week for these free allowances as Monday to Sunday. Part-filled bags and loose loads are assessed under its published charging rules.

Not every recycling centre accepts every specialist material. Check your chosen site’s accepted-materials list before loading the vehicle.

Asbestos requires particular care. The council publishes specific packaging and acceptance requirements and advises residents not to break asbestos up themselves. Check the asbestos conditions and handling guidance before arranging disposal.

West Sussex: Book to Recycle remains in place

West Sussex County Council’s Book to Recycle system applies to vehicle visits at its household recycling centres, excluding the county’s mobile recycling centres.

Residents can currently make up to five recycling-centre visits per household in a calendar month.

A visit can be booked up to 14 days ahead, while same-day appointments are available where slots remain.

The booking must contain the correct vehicle registration. If the registration is wrong, or you need to use a different vehicle, the council says you must cancel and rebook rather than edit the registration on the existing booking.

West Sussex recycling centre opening hours change with the season

Check both the opening days and the seasonal timetable before booking. West Sussex centres do not all share the same schedule.

At Shoreham Recycling Centre, the published opening hours are:

Other West Sussex centres have their own opening days and access restrictions. Use the individual centre’s information rather than assuming that Shoreham’s timetable applies elsewhere.

Do pedestrians and cyclists need to book in West Sussex?

The answer depends on the recycling centre.

At Shoreham, West Sussex says pedestrians, cyclists and mobility-scooter users do not need to book a slot. That exemption is stated on the Shoreham centre page.

Do not assume the same arrangements apply automatically at every site. Recycling centres have different layouts, and access without a vehicle may be restricted.

The council’s general terms and conditions also say that staff will not accept waste from someone who parks a vehicle off site intending to walk it into the centre.

Anyone arriving without a car should check the access information for their chosen centre before travelling.

Brighton & Hove: no advance booking needed at the city’s tips

Brighton & Hove operates differently from both county councils. The city has two household waste recycling sites:

There is currently no equivalent of East Sussex’s universal reservation system or West Sussex’s Book to Recycle scheme for ordinary visits to the two Brighton & Hove sites.

That does not mean the two sites have identical rules. Opening hours, pedestrian access, trailers and permitted vehicles can differ between Hove and Whitehawk.

Check the city’s household waste recycling site information before visiting.

Hove tip opening hours

The Hove household waste recycling site at Modbury Way has different hours according to the day of the week. The following normal hours are published in Veolia’s recycling-site directory.

The council warns that entrance gates can close up to 45 minutes before the advertised closing time if queues need to be cleared. Do not leave your arrival until the last few minutes.

Brighton Whitehawk tip opening hours

The Brighton household waste recycling site at Whitehawk has longer weekend opening hours than Hove. Veolia publishes the following normal timetable.

The same warning about queues applies: gates may close up to 45 minutes early when staff need to clear vehicles already waiting on site. Check for separate notices about holiday closures or disruption.

Can you walk into Hove or Brighton tip?

This is one area where the two city sites differ substantially.

Hove has a pedestrian access route from St Joseph’s Close, using a pedestrian gate and designated crossing within the site.

Brighton & Hove City Council says pedestrians should use that route rather than walking through the vehicle entrance.

Pedestrians cannot use the Whitehawk site because the council says there is no safe walking route into the recycling centre.

Cyclists and cargo-bike users can access both sites, subject to the council’s current site instructions.

Check the council’s walking, cycling and vehicle-access guidance before travelling.

Can you take a trailer to Brighton & Hove recycling centres?

Hove accepts small trailers; Brighton’s Whitehawk site does not accept trailers. Veolia, which operates the sites, publishes the following limits.

Do not assume a trailer accepted at one Sussex recycling centre will be accepted at another. Check the chosen site’s restrictions before hitching it to your vehicle.

Can you take a van or hired vehicle to the tip?

A booking does not override a site’s vehicle restrictions. Check the vehicle’s type, size and permitted visiting days before hiring a van or loading it with waste.

East Sussex van rules

In East Sussex, vans, including hired vans, can visit only on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, when the chosen site is open. Select “van” when booking: a car booking is not valid for a van.

Van drivers must bring photo identification and another document showing their home address. Hired-vehicle users must also bring their hire agreement.

The council does not accept vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of 3,500kg or more, or Luton, flatbed, tipper, cage or box-style vans. Other restrictions, including height limits and checks for business waste, also apply.

Read the full East Sussex van and hired-vehicle rules before booking.

West Sussex van rules

West Sussex’s current guidance says a separate vehicle permit is not required, but the vehicle must meet the restrictions for the chosen centre.

At Shoreham, for example, the council prohibits Luton-type vans, twin-axle trailers and vehicles exceeding 2.2 metres in height, among other restricted vehicle types. Check the full list on the Shoreham centre page.

Use the hired vehicle’s correct registration when booking and bring the hire paperwork. If you need to change the registration, cancel and rebook through Book to Recycle.

Brighton & Hove van rules

For Brighton & Hove’s sites, Veolia’s published restrictions exclude vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of 3,500kg or more and commercial vehicles with Luton, flatbed or tipper bodies.

Check both the operator’s site restrictions and the city council’s access guidance before hiring. A vehicle being available from a hire company does not mean it can enter either tip.

Can someone else take your rubbish for you?

The arrangements differ between East Sussex and West Sussex.

East Sussex allows family and friends to help residents who need assistance. The booking should use the driver’s name and vehicle registration, but the address of the resident whose waste is being taken.

Bring that resident’s proof of address, the booking confirmation and the driver’s own identification. The council waives the non-resident entry fee when an out-of-area driver is helping dispose of an East Sussex resident’s waste. Check the circumstances covered by its family-and-friends booking policy.

West Sussex has a different rule. The person whose waste it is must either deliver it themselves or accompany the person transporting it, according to the council’s recycling-centre terms and conditions.

Do not assume that an arrangement accepted in East Sussex will also be accepted at a West Sussex centre.

Building waste is not covered by one Sussex-wide allowance

The East Sussex DIY allowances listed earlier in this guide should not be applied to West Sussex sites or Brighton & Hove’s tips.

West Sussex publishes a limit of up to 200kg of building, construction and demolition materials at its recycling centres, excluding mobile centres. The council describes that as approximately eight 25kg rubble bags.

Material-specific exceptions still apply. The published weight limit is not permission to bring every kind of building waste, or a statement that every material is accepted without charge.

Read the West Sussex construction-waste conditions and follow the council’s recycling A–Z links before taking plasterboard, asbestos or another restricted material.

For the city’s sites, use Brighton & Hove’s separate list of accepted and prohibited materials.

Household recycling centres are not a disposal route for business waste. East Sussex and West Sussex direct businesses to facilities licensed to accept commercial waste rather than their household recycling sites.

Need help booking a recycling centre visit?

For East Sussex, use the council’s booking service or call 0345 60 80 194 for help making a booking.

For West Sussex, booking enquiries can be made on 01243 642106, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5.30pm.

West Sussex advisers can book available appointments, but cannot override the published visit limit or edit vehicle registrations. The council explains those limits on its booking and enquiries page.

Before loading the car, check that the centre accepts your vehicle, your type of waste and the quantity you intend to bring, not simply that its gates are open.

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