Our website will be down for maintenance between 10am and midday, Monday 23 December. Sorry for any inconvenience.

Find out about waste and what you can and cannot recycle over the Christmas period on the Bristol Waste Company website 

What materials you can bring, limits on the amount and charges for some materials.

What you can bring

We take: 

  • batteries (car and domestic)
  • books, DVDs and CDs
  • cardboard
  • carpets
  • DIY and construction waste (charges apply for some items)
  • electrical appliances, household only, large and small, known as Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE)
  • fuel (petrol or diesel, in a sealed container)
  • fluorescent tubes and low energy light bulbs
  • glass bottles and jars
  • glasses (spectacles)
  • green waste from gardens
  • hard plastic (such as,  old toys, household items, drainpipes)
  • hazardous household waste, check before you bring anything
  • household furniture
  • mattresses 
  • oil (used engine oil and cooking oil, in a sealed container)
  • paper and magazines
  • paint
  • plastic bottles
  • refrigerators and freezers (domestic)
  • scrap metal
  • shoes, clothes, textiles and rags
  • shredded paper
  • televisions and monitors
  • tin cans, foil
  • wood waste

DIY and construction waste free of charge

You don't need to pay to take these items to the recycling centre:

  • bath or shower trays
  • DIY plastic: pipes, guttering, facia, soffit, skirting, cladding, loose plastics
  • insulation material
  • paint
  • plastic doors or door frames
  • plastic panels
  • plastic sanitary ware
  • plastic windows
  • roofing felt
  • roofing sheets
  • shower screens
  • tyres (maximum of 4, any more than this, or repeat visits, will be challenged and you may be turned away)
  • water tanks

DIY and construction waste you need to pay for

There will be a free allocation of up to one load per week. This is at a maximum frequency of four visits over a four week period.

What you can bring free of charge

At each visit you can bring free of charge either:

  • up to 100 litres of soil and rubble in two 50ltr bags or equivalent in smaller bags e.g. 4 x 25ltr bags
  • 1 sheet of asbestos or plasterboard
  • 1 item of sanitary ware

When you will be charged

If you bring more than one type of DIY and construction waste per visit, you will be charged for the extra types of waste. You'll need to pay for the lowest charged additional items.

Before you visit a site

Before visiting the sites, you should pay attention to free limits and plan your visit accordingly.

 You pay online for chargeable DIY and construction waste when you book a visit to a reuse and recycling centre.

Book a visit to a reuse and recycling centre 

You need to pay for whole bags and sheets, you cannot pay for a part bag.

A bag is a small, plastic sand or aggregate bag from a standard DIY store that can be safely lifted by one person. A propriety rubble bag is not classed as a small bag and you may need to pay extra.

If you bring more chargeable waste than you have booked, you can pay by card at the recycling and reuse centre.

Loose waste and waste in trailers will be assessed at the recycling and reuse centre for charging.

pdf DIY and construction waste charges guidance (148 KB)

Waste exceeding these allowances will be charged at the following rates.

Charges for DIY and construction waste

Soil and rubble

Cost £2.90 per bag or item.

Includes:

  • bricks
  • blocks
  • concrete
  • gravel
  • hardcore
  • paving slabs
  • rubble
  • sand
  • slates
  • soil
  • stones
  • tarmac
  • tiles

Soil and rubble will be refused if mixed with other materials.

Asbestos and plasterboard

Asbestos

Cost £11 per sheet or bag.

We'll accept up to 1 sheet or 25kg bags of bonded asbestos per week. All asbestos must be double wrapped in polythene and sealed with tape.

Maximum sheet size of 10ft (3m) x 4.5ft (1.5m). A sheet of asbestos is a small domestic roofing sheet or similar.

You must not mix bagged asbestos with any other waste. We can only accept cement bonded asbestos. We will not accept unwrapped asbestos.

Plasterboard

Clean plasterboard with no materials attached:

  • Cost £4.50 per sheet or bag.
  • Includes plaster and gypsum related products.

Plasterboard with other materials attached:

  • Cost £9.50 per sheet or bag.
  • Includes plasterboard with materials attached such as tiles, foil insulation or other materials.

Sanitary ware

Cost: £2.90 per item.

1 item: no larger than 2m x 0.75m x 0.7m

Sanitary ware includes items such as ceramic toilets, sinks, and pedestal.