Canterbury tip on Vauxhall Road and Herne Bay tip on Westbrook Lane open 8am to 4.30pm Monday to Saturday, 9am to 4pm Sunday. Booking is compulsory and free.
The Canterbury district has two household waste recycling centres, the Canterbury tip on Vauxhall Road and the Herne Bay tip on Westbrook Lane. Both are run by Kent County Council rather than the city council, both keep identical hours, and both refuse entry to anyone who has not booked. This page has the opening times, the booking rule, the vehicle restrictions and the charges, and what is known about Christmas.
The quick answer
The Canterbury tip, Vauxhall Road, CT1 1HD and the Herne Bay tip, Westbrook Lane, CT6 8DD are both open 8am to 4.30pm Monday to Saturday and 9am to 4pm on Sunday and bank holidays. You must book a slot before you go; Kent County Council says “entry without booking is not permitted”. Booking is free, can be for the same day or up to two weeks ahead, and there is no limit on visits in a day. Both sites have a 2 metre height barrier.
Opening times
| Canterbury | Herne Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| Address | Vauxhall Road, Canterbury, CT1 1HD | Westbrook Lane, Herne Bay, CT6 8DD (access only via Westbrook Lane) |
| Monday to Saturday | 8am to 4.30pm | 8am to 4.30pm |
| Sunday | 9am to 4pm | 9am to 4pm |
| Bank holidays | 9am to 4pm | 9am to 4pm |
| Height barrier | 2 metres (6ft 6in) | 2 metres (6ft 6in) |
| Booking | Required | Required |
Sources: Kent County Council, Canterbury household waste recycling centre and Herne Bay household waste recycling centre, read 25 September 2026.
Whitstable is not on the county’s list of 19 sites, so the district’s two centres are Canterbury and Herne Bay. Kent residents can no longer use the three Medway sites at Capstone, Cuxton and Hoath Way.
How to book
Booking is through Kent County Council’s book a slot page, which links to the online form. The council changed its booking system recently: there is no longer a customer account, and it says the new form “looks a bit different, but it’s still quick and easy to use”.
- Book for the same day or up to two weeks ahead.
- There is no limit on how many slots you book in a day.
- Bring the booking reference, on your phone or written down.
- If you cannot book online, call 03000 41 73 73, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm (Text Relay 18001 03000 41 73 73).
- To cancel or change a slot, or change the vehicle on it, use the council’s cancel or change page.
Rules on site
Both site pages carry the same rules. You cannot carry waste in on foot; everything arrives by vehicle. Children stay in the car. Wear suitable clothes and footwear. Business waste is not accepted. Staff may ask what you have brought so it can be reused or recycled rather than tipped, and the council asks you to separate electricals, paper and textiles before you arrive.
Residents who do not pay council tax to a Kent council pay £10 a visit under the council’s cross-border policy.
Vans, trailers and the height barrier
The 2 metre barrier stops most vans and anything with a roof box. Some larger vehicles are allowed with a voucher, and the council is “moving to digital permits for restricted vehicles in November” 2026; anyone approved now is sent up to six paper vouchers, which will still be accepted for a while after the switch. The rules and the application are on the vehicle restrictions and vouchers page and in the council’s operating policy PDF.
What costs money
Household waste is free. Some DIY waste and tyres are chargeable; the amounts and the free allowance are on the council’s charges at HWRCs page, and its what can I get rid of search tool says item by item what each site takes.
One current notice: since 30 July the council has asked residents to hold on to fridges and freezers where it is safe to do so, because “fridge and freezer recycling is currently under pressure across the UK”.
Christmas and New Year
Kent County Council’s site pages give a single line for bank holidays, 9am to 4pm, and do not say separately whether the sites open on Christmas Day, Boxing Day or New Year’s Day. Canterbury City Council’s own Christmas recycling page tells residents to “check festive opening hours and book a slot” on the county’s website, which is where the festive hours appear each December. We will add them here when they are published. Garden waste kerbside collections stop between 19 December and 17 January, so the tip is the only outlet for green waste in that period, and real Christmas trees from households without a garden waste subscription go to the tip too. Details, including the charity tree collections, are on our Canterbury Christmas bin collections page.
Related
Bulky items can be collected from home by Canterbury City Council for a fee; prices and the booking rule are on our Canterbury bin collection days page. For recycling banks for glass and textiles the city council points to Recycle Now. For current road closures on the way to either site see Canterbury roadworks and travel.
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