Cornwall Recycling Centres Open as Usual on Bank Holiday Monday

Got a boot full of rubbish to shift on your day off? Cornwall’s recycling centres are open as usual today, but turn up at the wrong one without booking and you’ll be sent home.

Cornwall Council has confirmed that all 14 Household Waste and Recycling Centres across the county are open from 9am to 4pm this bank holiday Monday.

Seven Sites Need Booking

Anyone planning to visit Newquay, Saltash, St Erth, Bude, Launceston, St Austell or Bodmin (Lanivet) will need to book a slot in advance. Slots can be booked for the same day if there’s still availability, or up to seven days ahead. A confirmation email is sent once a booking goes through.

Best Times To Avoid Queues

The council says its sites tend to be busiest between 11am and noon, and again from 2pm to 3pm, especially at weekends and on bank holidays. The quietest windows are 9am to 10am, and 3pm to 4pm.

What’s Accepted

The HWRCs take items that aren’t collected through the kerbside service, such as electrical goods, metal, and wood. There are limits on how much asbestos, plasterboard, soil, rubble, and tyres you can dispose of for free. Anyone turning up in a van, pickup, or large trailer will need a vehicle permit, and commercial waste is only accepted at some sites.

Reuse Shops Open Too

Reuse shops are open every day from 9am to 4pm at eight sites: Truro, St Austell, Falmouth, United Mines, Launceston, St Erth, Helston, and Bude. Reusable items can be donated at any HWRC and may be sold in the shops or passed on to local charity partners. Staff on site can help with furniture and household items that charities might collect directly.

To find your nearest centre and check what it accepts, enter your postcode on the council’s My Area page.