Recycling centre booking system for vans

Tuesday 25 January 2022

From 28 February 2022, you will have to book a slot to visit a recycling centre in a van, pick-up or a vehicle towing a trailer with more than one axle. The booking system is now open. 
Please remember, a booking slot does not allow priority access to the site.

Vans and large trailers take up a lot of space at recycling centres and often take a long time to unload. This can lead to long queues and waiting times to access sites.

The introduction of a booking system for these types of vehicles will enable us to better manage service demand and reduce queuing at peak times.

Book your slot to visit a recycling centre in a van

If you want to visit an Essex recycling centre in a van (including pick-up trucks and any vehicle towing a trailer with more than one axle), from 28 February 2022 you will need to book a slot in advance. Please remember, recycling centres only accept household waste.

Book your slot to visit a recycling centre

There is no charge to book, but you need to make a booking each time you visit.

When making the booking, you will be able to select the recycling centre you wish to visit. Once you have chosen your recycling centre, a calendar will appear displaying the time slots. Fully booked slots will be greyed out, and available slots will be green.

You can also view the capacity of each slot in the bottom right-hand corner of the time slot so you can see how busy each slot is.

Once your booking is complete you will receive a confirmation email. Please bring the booking confirmation and proof of address. Only residents of the Essex County Council area will be allowed access.

Please note:

• Booking slots will be made available for a maximum of two weeks in advance.
• Bookings cannot be made on the same day. Bookings will close two days in advance to allow for a detailed list to be provided to the sites and administrative teams.
• To ensure fair usage, residents visiting a recycling centre in a van, car-derived van, pick-up truck or any vehicle towing a trailer with more than one axle will be limited to one booking per week.
• Bookings will be for an hour long time slot. You can arrive at your designated recycling centre at any point within this time slot. However please be aware you have 20 minutes to unload your vehicle once on site. If you are planning to visit towards the end of your time slot, please note you must arrive at least 20 minutes prior to the end of your slot.
• Vans, pick-ups and twin-axle trailers are not permitted to access the sites before 9:30am and after 4:30pm between 1 March and 15 October, and before 9:30am and after 3:30pm between 16 October and end of February.
• A booking slot does not allow priority access. If you arrive and there is a queue, please do not try and skip the queue as you will be refused access.
• If you miss your slot, you will have to book another slot to visit on another day.
• If you would like to cancel your booking, the booking confirmation email will contain a link called 'return to my booking'. If you click this link, you will be able to follow instructions to cancel your booking.
• If you do not have access to the internet, bookings can be made free of charge on a public computer at a local library, where booking confirmations can also be printed. 

Any vans that park up outside and attempt to walk waste in will be reported and refused entry.

If you are visiting in a car or as a pedestrian, you do not need to book a slot. 

Normal site rules apply. Small recycling centres do not accept vans. 

Any vehicle that is over 3.5 tonnes, agricultural vehicles, horse boxes and tipping flatbeds are not accepted at any of the recycling centres in Essex.

The booking system for vans is only applicable to the nine sites in Essex that accept vans (including pick-ups and large trailers). These are:

• Braintree Recycling Centre
• Brentwood Recycling Centre
• Chelmsford Recycling Centre
• Clacton Recycling Centre
• Colchester Recycling Centre
• Harlow Recycling Centre
• Maldon Recycling Centre
• Pitsea Recycling Centre
• Saffron Walden Recycling Centre

Further information

What does Essex County Council define as a van, pick-up or large trailer?

Recycling centre booking system terms and conditions

Find your nearest recycling centre