Locations
Our household waste recycling centres accept a wide range of items for recycling or safe disposal, but if you have large items at home that you no longer need and are still in good condition, you can have them collected by an organisation listed on Scotland's Re-use Tool. You might also find our local Edinburgh Re-use Tool helpful. Find out ways to re-use items more generally.
Only Edinburgh residents can use our recycling centres at
- Seafield HWRC, 76 Seafield Road,EH6 7LW
- Craigmillar HWRC, Old Dalkeith Road, EH16 4TB
- Sighthill HWRC, Bankhead Avenue, EH11 4EA.
You can walk, cycle or drive in by car or short term hire vehicle.
Our recycling centres are available for those who have booked appointments only. This means
- there's fewer queues on site and on surrounding roads
- an overall faster experience for all
- it's less crowded so people can move around more easily.
More information on booking a visit to a recycling centre
You don't need to book if you're coming on foot with small amounts of materials. Please make sure you use the paths provided.
Opening hours and planned site closures
- All recycling centres are normally open seven days a week for booked slots only.
- Trailers and vans are only allowed to book visits from 8.30am until 10am.
- Emergencies or severe weather may cause the centres to close at short notice.
- There are currently no planned site closures expected in November.
- All recycling centres will be closed on 25 and 26 December 2024, and 1 and 2 January 2025.
Site rules
Before accessing the centre you must read and accept the site rules:
- You must follow instructions given by staff for your safety.
- Children and animals must remain in your vehicle at all times.
- Only Edinburgh residents with their own household waste are allowed. If you don’t live in Edinburgh but you’re using a hire vehicle to help someone who does, please bring your hire documents as well as a Council Tax bill, bank statement or utility bill for the Edinburgh address.
- Commercial, trade or business waste is not allowed.
- You must observe speed limits and traffic flow signs - reversing is not allowed.
- All waste must be sorted and deposited in the correct container.
- Only authorised contractors may remove materials.
We prosecute anyone who threatens or assaults our staff.
Vehicles allowed into recycling centres
- Only Edinburgh residents in domestic or short term hire vehicles can use the recycling centres.
- No vans are allowed at Craigmillar.
- Trailers and vans are allowed at specific time slots, with other criteria, as specified below.
Vehicles not allowed into recycling centres
- Liveried vans
- Any vehicle over 3.5 tonnes
- Flat-bed tipper / flat-bed transit style vehicles
- Luton vans
- Horse boxes
- Trailers that measure more than 6 feet by 4 feet, excluding the frame / tow hitches
- Hire vans that are hired for a more than five days
- Any van that has had more than 12 visits in a twelve month period
Staff
Staff have the right to
- refuse access to anyone who fails to produce the correct documents
- refuse entry or deny tipping to any person they suspect of trying to deposit commercial waste, whether for disposal or recycling
- require suspected traders / carriers of commercial waste to complete a household waste declaration form to state that the waste is from their own domestic property appropriate photo ID may be required to be shown to site staff when completing this form
- inspect the contents of any load
- visit any customer's address, if they are suspected of bringing in commercial waste to establish the origin of the waste
- ban, from all sites, any vehicle or customer suspected of ongoing illegal deposit of commercial waste.