Sevenoaks tip at Dunbrik opens 8am to 4.30pm Monday to Saturday, 9am to 4pm Sunday, and you cannot get in without booking. Swanley times and charges too.

Two household waste recycling centres serve the Sevenoaks district, one at Dunbrik near Sundridge and one at Pedham Place in Swanley. Both are run by Kent County Council rather than the district council, both keep the same hours, and both now turn away anyone who has not booked. This page sets out the opening times, the booking rule, which vehicles get in and which need a voucher, what you can tip free and what costs money, and the items neither site will take.

The quick answer

The Sevenoaks tip at Dunbrik, Main Road, Sundridge, TN14 6EP, is open 8am to 4.30pm Monday to Saturday and 9am to 4pm on Sunday and bank holidays. The Swanley site at the Teardrop Centre, Pedham Place, BR8 8TJ, keeps exactly the same hours. You must book a slot before you arrive, and Kent County Council does not let unbooked vehicles in. Booking is free, you can book for the same day or up to two weeks ahead, and there is no cap on how many times you visit in a day. Both sites have a 2 metre height barrier, so a tall van or a car with a roof box will be stopped.

Sevenoaks tip opening times, Dunbrik

The site everyone in the district calls “the Sevenoaks tip” is at Dunbrik, on Main Road in Sundridge, west of the town.
Address Main Road, Dunbrik, Sundridge, TN14 6EP
Monday to Saturday 8am to 4.30pm
Sunday 9am to 4pm
Bank holidays 9am to 4pm
Height barrier 2 metres (6 foot 6 inches)
Booking Required, no entry without one

Swanley tip opening times, Pedham Place

The north of the district is served by the Swanley centre in the Teardrop Centre at Pedham Place, on the A20 London Road. The hours and the rules are identical.
Address Teardrop Centre (Pedham Place), A20 London Road, Swanley, BR8 8TJ
Monday to Saturday 8am to 4.30pm
Sunday 9am to 4pm
Bank holidays 9am to 4pm
Height barrier 2 metres (6 foot 6 inches)
Booking Required, no entry without one

Which one is nearer depends on where you are in the district. Measured in a straight line from the town centre, so the drive is longer in each case:

From To Dunbrik To Swanley
Sevenoaks town 2.4 miles 8.1 miles
Westerham 3.1 miles 9.9 miles
Edenbridge 6.7 miles 14.4 miles
Swanley 7.9 miles 1.2 miles

One thing worth knowing if you live in the north of the district: Kent residents can no longer use the Medway sites at Capstone, Cuxton and Hoath Way. If Medway used to be your habit, Swanley is now your closest option.

You have to book, and that catches people out

This is the single biggest change to how the tip works, and it is still the most common reason people are turned away at the gate. Kent County Council operates every one of its 19 recycling centres on a booked-slot basis.

  • Booking is free, and you can book for the same day or up to two weeks ahead.
  • There is no limit on how many times you can visit in one day, so a big clearout can be split across several bookings.
  • Bring your booking reference with you. On your phone, printed, or written on the back of an envelope, all are fine.
  • There is no customer account to set up. Kent changed the booking system recently, so it will look different if you last used it a while ago.
  • If you cannot book online, call 03000 41 73 73, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. Text Relay is 18001 03000 41 73 73.

You book on the council’s book a slot to visit a household waste recycling centre page, which also carries the link to cancel or change a slot.

Which vehicles get in, and which need a voucher

Both Sevenoaks and Swanley have a 2 metre height barrier, and the vehicle rules matter more here than at most tips because so many households in the district run a van or tow a trailer.

Not allowed at all:

  • Anything more than 2 metres tall, including a car made too tall by a roof rack or roof box.
  • Hire vans, tippers, drop-sided lorries, horseboxes and agricultural trailers.
  • Any vehicle with a maximum gross vehicle weight over 3.5 tonnes.

Allowed with no voucher:

  • Cars and estate cars with windows all the way round and seats throughout.
  • People carriers, 4x4s and minibuses with windows all round and seats throughout, up to nine seats.
  • Pick-up trucks and open-back vehicles, including those with a removable top.
  • Taxis and sign-written cars, again with windows all round and seats throughout.

Allowed, but you need a vehicle voucher first:

  • Panel vans, and car-derived vans with panels in place of windows or no rear seats.
  • People carriers, 4x4s and minibuses fitted with panels instead of windows, or with the rear seats out.
  • Minibuses with 10 seats or more.
  • Campervans and minibuses over 2 metres tall but under 3.5 tonnes, with windows and seats throughout.

To qualify for vouchers the vehicle must be the only one in your household, under 2 metres tall unless it is a campervan or minibus, and under 3.5 tonnes. Apply through Kent County Council’s vehicle restrictions and vouchers pages.

Disability adapted vehicles have no height restriction in principle, but Sevenoaks and Swanley are two of the three Kent sites where staff cannot raise the barrier. If your adapted vehicle is over 2 metres, ring 03000 417373 before you go and ask for special access arrangements rather than turning up and hoping.

Trailers

You can bring a car and trailer. The trailer body must be no more than 2.05 metres long, must not have its sides built up for extra capacity, must not be overloaded, must stay within your towing capacity, and must stay hitched unless staff tell you otherwise. Agricultural trailers, horseboxes and tippers are refused, and you cannot tow with a vehicle that is itself restricted.

What is free, and what you pay for

Most household recycling is free. The charges apply to tyres and to DIY waste above a set allowance.

The free DIY waste allowance is four visits in four weeks, and on each of those visits one large item (up to 200cm by 75cm) or two standard black bags of 50 litres each. A sheet of plasterboard counts as one black bag.

Item Free allowance Cost above it
Car and motorbike tyres None £3 per tyre, up to 5 a day
DIY waste 4 visits in 4 weeks, 1 large item or 2 bags a visit £5 per item or bag
Plasterboard 4 visits in 4 weeks, 1 sheet or 2 bags a visit £7.50 per sheet or bag
Visit by a non-Kent resident None £10 per visit

Inside the allowance you can tip breeze blocks, bricks, set cement and concrete (not powder), drainpipes, flagstones, granite, marble, paving slabs, hardcore, rubble, gravel, rocks, sand, stones, soil, ceramic tiles, and ceramic bathroom and kitchen fittings such as baths, basins, sinks, toilet pans, cisterns, bidets and shower trays.

There is no limit and no charge at all on plastic kitchen units, non-ceramic sinks, non-ceramic baths and doors, which is worth remembering if you are ripping out a kitchen.

Payment is by debit or credit card only. Neither site takes cash or cheques, and staff cannot give discounts. Ask on site if you need a VAT receipt.

The £10 charge for residents outside Kent includes Medway residents. It is charged per visit, not per item.

What the tip will not take

  • Business or trade waste. It is illegal to bring it to a recycling centre, and staff will send tradespeople to a waste transfer station instead. If you have hired someone to do the work, the waste is theirs to dispose of, not yours.
  • Large quantities of soil, rubble, hardcore or renovation materials. The sites are not built for it. Past the free allowance you are into skip hire territory.
  • Waste carried in on foot. You cannot walk on to either site with your rubbish, which rules out arriving by bus or on a bike.

You also have to wear sensible clothes and footwear, and children must stay in the car.

Fridges and freezers are the current pinch point

If you are trying to get rid of a fridge or a freezer this month, expect friction at both ends. On 30 July 2026 Kent County Council asked residents to hold on to fridges and freezers a little longer if the appliance is safe to keep, because fridge and freezer recycling is under pressure across the UK and it wants to keep space for urgent cases. Sevenoaks District Council’s own bulky waste service says the same in stronger terms: it is currently unable to collect any fridges or freezers due to a national issue.

When the council will come to you instead

For heavy furniture, a trip to Dunbrik with a trailer is not always the sensible answer. Sevenoaks District Council runs a bulky waste collection from the kerbside, up to 10 items on your normal collection day:

Items Charge
1 item £26
2 items £31
3 to 4 items £42.50
5 to 10 items £57
Corner sofa £31
White goods £26

Items must be outside your property boundary by 7am on the booked day, and crews work between 7am and 4pm. The service will not take televisions, furniture or doors containing glass, gas canisters or plasterboard, and, as above, no fridges or freezers at present. Book and pay by card on the council’s bulky waste collection page.

For everything that goes out at the kerb each week, including the switch to wheelie bins on 12 October 2026, see our guide to Sevenoaks bin collection days.

Frequently asked questions

What time does the Sevenoaks tip open?

Both the Sevenoaks site at Dunbrik and the Swanley site open at 8am Monday to Saturday and close at 4.30pm. On Sundays and bank holidays they open at 9am and close at 4pm. You must have booked a slot before you arrive.

Do I need to book to use the Sevenoaks tip?

Yes. Kent County Council requires a booked slot at all 19 of its recycling centres, and entry without one is not permitted. Booking is free, can be made for the same day or up to two weeks ahead, and there is no limit on how many visits you make in a day. If you cannot book online, call 03000 41 73 73 on a weekday between 9am and 5pm.

Where is the Sevenoaks tip?

At Dunbrik, Main Road, Sundridge, TN14 6EP, roughly two and a half miles west of Sevenoaks town centre. The district’s other centre is at the Teardrop Centre, Pedham Place, A20 London Road, Swanley, BR8 8TJ.

Can I take a van to the Sevenoaks tip?

Only with a vehicle voucher, and only if the van is under 2 metres tall, under 3.5 tonnes gross weight, and the only vehicle in your household. Hire vans, tippers and drop-sided lorries are refused outright. Cars, estates, pick-ups and people carriers with windows and seats throughout need no voucher.

How much does it cost to use the Sevenoaks tip?

Nothing for ordinary household recycling. Tyres cost £3 each, up to five a day. DIY waste above the free allowance of four visits in four weeks, with one large item or two black bags a visit, costs £5 per item or bag, and plasterboard £7.50 per sheet or bag. Residents who do not pay council tax to a Kent council pay £10 a visit. Card only, no cash.

Can I still use the Medway tips?

No. Kent residents can no longer use the Medway sites at Capstone, Cuxton and Hoath Way. If you live in the north of the district, Swanley is your nearest centre.

How much plasterboard can I take to the tip?

One sheet counts as one of your two black bags for the visit, so within the free allowance you can bring one sheet plus one bag, or two sheets, on each of four visits in four weeks. Anything beyond that is £7.50 a sheet. Plaster powder is not accepted at all, and Sevenoaks District Council will not take plasterboard on a bulky waste collection either.

Sources

All Kent County Council and Sevenoaks District Council figures on this page were checked at source on 17 August 2026. Charges and opening times can change, so confirm on the council’s own pages before you set off.