At a glance
- Booking
- Required for all visits since 14 January 2026 – up to 2 weeks ahead and as late as 30 minutes before
- Vans and trailers
- Permit needed: vans, pick-ups up to 5.8 m and trailers up to 2.4 m. 10 visits per 12 months, one permit per address.
- Hire vans
- Hired for 3 days or less: no permit needed if you bring the hire agreement and proof of address. Longer hires: contact the council.
- Free DIY allowance
- Once every 7 days: two 50-litre or five 20-litre bags, or one large item (up to 2 m × 0.75 m × 0.7 m)
- Plasterboard
- Ardley and Redbridge only: £4.30 per 20-litre bag, £11.80 per sheet (2 m × 1 m). Not accepted with tiles attached.
- Non-residents
- £15 per booking
Not clear from the source
- One sentence in the policy about the £2.50 per-bag DIY charge is garbled on the council page ('£2.5part-filled…'), so the exact wording of how part-filled bags are charged is unclear.
Book every visit
Since 14 January 2026, everyone needs to book a visit to Oxfordshire's seven HWRCs: Alkerton, Ardley Fields, Dix Pit, Drayton, Oakley Wood, Redbridge and Stanford in the Vale. You can book up to two weeks ahead and as late as 30 minutes before. Bring proof of address.
One important trap: if you're bringing DIY waste, select DIY when you book, or the council says you'll be charged.
Sites are open 8am to 5pm every day except 25 and 26 December and 1 January. There's no pedestrian access – you need to arrive in a vehicle.
Vans, pick-ups and trailers
You need a van or trailer permit for:
- vans and pick-ups up to 5.8 m long
- trailers up to 2.4 m long
A permit gives 10 visits per 12 months, and there's one permit per address. Commercial-type vehicles can't tow a trailer into the site.
Not allowed at all: vehicles over 5.8 m long, 2.5 m wide or 3.5 tonnes; sign-written vehicles; tippers, beavertails, box vans, cage vans and Luton vans; minibuses with more than 9 seats; horseboxes; tractors; and trailers over 2.4 m.
Hiring a van?
Oxfordshire spells this out. If your van is hired for 3 days or less, you can visit without a permit – bring the hire agreement and proof of address. For longer hires, contact the council first. (Remember the vehicle-type ban above still applies, so a hired Luton van won't get in.)
DIY waste
You get a free allowance once every 7 days: two 50-litre bags, five 20-litre bags, or one large item up to 2 m × 0.75 m × 0.7 m. Beyond that most DIY items are charged at £2.50.
| Item | Charge | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Plasterboard | £4.30 per 20-litre bag; £11.80 per sheet (2 m × 1 m) | Ardley and Redbridge only |
| Asbestos | £5.70 per square metre | Ardley, Dix Pit and Redbridge only |
| Tyres | £7.50 each, maximum 4 | – |
| Most other DIY items | £2.50 | – |
Plasterboard with tiles attached isn't accepted.
Not from Oxfordshire?
Non-residents can use the sites for £15 per booking.
Taxis
A taxi can only bring waste if the person who produced the waste is in the taxi.