Nonprofit · Drop-off · Free

Recycle Now recycling locator

A postcode search that tells you what your borough collects at home and where to take everything else, reuse and recycling centres, plus drop-off points for awkward things like paint, batteries and textiles.

Right for you if

  • You can carry it there yourself, and you want to know which of your borough's sites will take it.
  • It has to cost nothing.
  • You can get it there under your own steam.
  • You want to turn up without booking.

Look elsewhere if

  • You have no way of getting it there.
  • You live outside the area it serves.
  • It is business waste.

Contact and booking

Phone
Not published
Email
Not published
Book online
Not published
Address
Not published
Opening hours
Not published

Verification

Verified against an official source

Last checked 18 August 2026

That means we read a published source and it said this. It does not mean we watched them do it, or followed the material afterwards, that is a separate, deeper check this has not been through. How we check →


Sources


Part of How to get rid of stuff in London.


Something wrong here?

Why use it

London's recycling rules change at the borough boundary, so the useful question is never "can this be recycled" but "can this be recycled here". This answers that. It is run by WRAP, a charity rather than a company, so it is not steering you anywhere. Take proof of address for a household recycling centre. Most are for residents of that borough only, and several now require a booking.

Good for

  • electronics
  • appliances
  • batteries
  • paint
  • textiles
  • books
  • garden waste
  • other items

How it works

How you use it You take it there.
Cost Free. Household recycling centres are free for residents of the borough that runs them.
Booking No appointment needed.
Service area London, United Kingdom
Run by WRAP, a nonprofit

Where your things go

A named destination is worth more than a stated intention, and both are worth more than silence. This is the row to read before you book: if your item's row is empty, ask them on the phone and tell us what they say.

Item
Reuses
Donates
Recycles
Disposes of
electronics
Reuses Not published
Donates Not published
Disposes of Not published
appliances
Reuses Not published
Recycles Recycling Centre
Disposes of Not published
batteries
Reuses Not published
Donates Not published
Disposes of Not published
paint
Reuses Not published
textiles
Donates Not published
Disposes of Not published
books
Reuses Not published
Disposes of Not published
garden waste
Reuses Not published
Donates Not published
Recycles Recycling Centres
Disposes of Not published
other items
Reuses Not published
Donates Not published
Recycles Not published
Disposes of Not published
furniture
Recycles Recycling Centres
Disposes of Not published
mattresses
Reuses Not published
Donates Not published
Disposes of Not published
toys
Reuses Not published
Disposes of Not published
bicycles
Reuses Not published
Donates The Bike Project
Disposes of Not published
building materials
Reuses Not published
Donates Not published
Recycles Recycling Centres
Disposes of Not published
construction waste
Reuses Not published
Donates Not published
Recycles Recycling Centres
Disposes of Not published
hazardous waste
Reuses Not published
Donates Not published
tyres
Reuses Not published
Donates Not published
Recycles Recycling Centres
Disposes of the fitting garage

Does it actually work

The part no company website tells you. Some of this comes from our checks, some from readers who used the service, and where nobody has told us yet, it says so.

  • Booking

    Their pages

    Postcode lookup; the site returns local facilities rather than taking a booking

  • Typical wait

    Needs reports

    Not established

    Recycle Now runs no collection of its own, and nothing on the locator or item pages states how long any onward route takes. A stated time would have to come from the local authority or facility the locator points to.

  • Do they answer

    Needs reports

    Not established

    The contact page names social media and an online form and lists no telephone number, but never says there is no phone line. A published number, or an explicit "we do not take calls", would settle it.

  • Restrictions

    Needs reports

    Residents only · Not for business waste

    Item pages repeatedly warn that local Recycling Centres may charge or cap quantities, but those are the facilities' restrictions, not Recycle Now's. A statement on the locator page about coverage limits would settle it.

  • Who it's for

    Their pages

    Householders in England and Northern Ireland

  • Last checked

    Pipeline

    18 August 2026

    Checked against the sources listed on this page.

The Responsible Index, in full

Not a review score. 14 observable signals, each met only where the operator's own pages state it, and each linking to the page it was read from. Blanks are gaps in what they publish, not accusations. How the Index works →

States a few things about its process, and names nowhere.

2 of 14 signals met

  • Transparency

    0 of 3

    • Publishes disposal partners
    • Explains the sorting process
    • Provides documentation or receipts
  • Reuse

    0 of 3

    • Reuse-first policy stated
    • Donation partnerships
    • Resale channel
  • Recycling

    1 of 3

    • Specialist handling (e-waste, mattresses)
    • Material separation on site
    • Named recyclers
  • Operations

    1 of 3

    • Service scope is clear
    • Licence number published
    • Insurance stated
  • Local

    0 of 2

    • Named community partners
    • Local reuse contribution

The evidence behind it

  • Service scope is clear
    Recycle Now™ is the national recycling campaign for England and Northern Ireland, which aims to motivate more people, to recycle more of the right things, more often.

    https://www.recyclenow.com/about-us/who-we-are · 20 August 2026

  • Specialist handling (e-waste, mattresses)
    These items should not be sent to landfill and should be recycled at Recycling Centres, electrical item bring banks or via electrical retailers - visit recycleyourelectricals.org.uk to find out more about where to recycle these.

    https://www.recyclenow.com/recycle-an-item/electrical-items · 20 August 2026

14 signals checked against 2 pages on 18 August 2026. The Index measures what an operator publishes about itself. It cannot be bought, verification does not raise it, and it never touches the order Spots are listed in.

Where donated things land

The organisations this operator names. The linked ones have profiles here; the rest are named on their pages and not yet checked by us.

  • Recycling Centres Named on their pages, not yet checked
  • British Heart Foundation Named on their pages, not yet checked
  • Dunelm, with British Heart Foundation and Clearabee Named on their pages, not yet checked
  • Recycling Centre Named on their pages, not yet checked
  • Recycling Centres, electrical item bring banks, electrical retailers (recycleyourelectricals.org.uk) Named on their pages, not yet checked
  • some recycling centres Named on their pages, not yet checked
  • clothing and textile banks in supermarket and local car parks Named on their pages, not yet checked
  • Primark and M&S in-store donation banks Named on their pages, not yet checked
  • some Recycling Centres Named on their pages, not yet checked
  • The Bike Project Named on their pages, not yet checked
  • Recycling Centres with a mixed metals facility Named on their pages, not yet checked
  • local hazardous waste disposal service, listed on GOV.UK Named on their pages, not yet checked
  • Community RePaint Named on their pages, not yet checked
  • Recycling Centre (hardened first) Named on their pages, not yet checked
  • hazardous waste disposal service Named on their pages, not yet checked
  • the fitting garage Named on their pages, not yet checked

What happens to it

  • Recycled
  • Broken down for materials

This describes the route the item takes, as the operator states it. We do not claim a recovery rate we have not seen evidence for.

What readers told us

Used them recently?

How long you waited, what they refused, whether anyone picked up the phone. Those are the three facts no website publishes and the ones the next reader needs.

Tell us what happened

Alternatives in London

Other places that will take things off your hands.

  • Reuse

    Freegle

    Freegle

    Takes
    furniture, appliances, electronics, books, and 4 more
    Where
    London boroughs
    Booking
    By appointment
    View → Index 3 of 14 Checked 18 Aug 2026
  • Reuse

    British Heart Foundation free collection

    British Heart Foundation

    Takes
    furniture, appliances, electronics, books, and 2 more
    Wait
    Local store makes contact within 5 working days to agree a date
    Where
    London
    Booking
    By phone
    View → Index 4 of 14 Checked 29 Aug 2026
  • Municipal

    Council bulky waste collection

    Your London borough council

    Takes
    furniture, mattresses, appliances, electronics
    Won’t take
    Households only, By appointment only, Not for business waste, No hazardous waste
    Cost
    On quote
    Where
    All 32 London boroughs and the City of London
    Booking
    Book online
    View → Checked 18 Aug 2026

Read the full London guide