Seven Brethren Recycling Centre

Opening times and general information
Acceptable materials
Restricted and non-acceptable materials
Chargeable waste
Site health and safety
Site user and vehicle restrictions

COVID-19 Guidance

Please see COVID-19 guidance for further information on restrictions that are currently in force at the Recycling Centre.

Opening times

	Summer (Apr to Sep)	Winter (Oct to March)
Monday to Friday	9:00am to 5:00pm	9:00am to 4:30pm
Saturday and Sunday	10:00am to 6:00pm	10:00am to 4:30pm

Contact details

Seven Brethren Recycling Centre
Barnstaple
EX31 2AS
0345 155 1010

Open all year round (except Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day).

In the event of extreme weather conditions the recycling centres may be forced to close at short notice, due to potential health and safety risks to site users. We will endeavour to update this webpage and the webpage of the closed recycling centre(s) when required but this may not always be possible. We would advise potential site users to avoid unnecessary travel during severe weather.

The site is located on the Seven Brethren industrial estate to the south of the river, follow the signs for the North Devon Leisure Centre. Go past the leisure centre, follow the road around to the right and left, the site can be found at the end of the road.

Waste loading/skip changes may result in this site (or part of the site) being closed for short periods throughout the day. For your own safety, please remain in your vehicle and keep your waste on board until the loading/skip exchange is completed. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Site staff will aim to provide assistance when reasonable; however, they are unable to lift excessively heavy and/or awkward loads. For example, if a bulky/heavy item required 2 or more persons to initially load the vehicle then it will be expected that the same amount of people arrive to help unload the vehicle once on site.

Acceptable materials

Please ensure that your waste is separated before arriving at the site.

Aluminium and steel cans.
Batteries – Household and car batteries (excluding electric vehicle batteries). Alternatively, car batteries can be taken to a scrap metal merchant who may pay you for your battery.
Bulky/rigid plastics.
Cardboard/Greeting Cards (must be non-glittery).
Carpets.
Clean mixed plastic packaging, for example, food trays and yoghurt pots (must be washed). Black plastic food trays and cling film type packaging are not acceptable.
Directories/Yellow Pages.
DIY engine oil.
Drinks cartons/Tetra Paks.
Flat glass.
Fluorescent tubes: up to 5 in any 6 month period.
Foil/Aluminium packaging (clean aluminium foil/packaging only).
Fridges/freezers (Commercial fridges/freezers/air conditioning units are not accepted as well as units from caravans/motorhomes/boats).
Furniture.
Garden/green waste (branches up to 250mm or 10 inches in diameter are accepted).
Glass bottles and jars.
Large electrical appliances, for example, cookers, microwaves, washing machines.
Light bulbs (recycled with fluorescent tubes).
Mattresses.
Metal (including empty aerosol cans).
Paper, newspapers and magazines (shredded paper must go in the paper bank. Wrapping paper or any paper containing glitter must not go in the paper bank).
Petrol powered lawn mowers and strimmers (must be emptied of fuel).
Plastic bottles.
Printer cartridges.
Small domestic appliances, for example, toasters, lawn mowers, hairdryers, computers, laptops (please ensure all personal data is erased before bringing your items to be recycled).
Textiles.
Timber.
TVs/computer monitors.
Vegetable oil.

Restricted and non-acceptable materials

Restricted

Ash (must be cooled and well damped down).
Certain hazardous waste, including items such as DIY engine oils, solvents, bleaches/chemicals (e.g. mercury thermometers) are accepted in restricted quantities.
DIY waste: 0.5 tonnes in a 6 month period (limit excludes chargeable waste).
Excess dustbin/black bag waste – please contact your local district, borough and city council in the first instance.
Fluorescent tubes: 5 in a 6 month period.
Gas bottles.
Household chemicals (eg pesticides, white spirit, bleach, oil-based paint): 5 litres in a 12 month period.
NHS equipment.
Noxious weeds.

Non acceptable

Asbestos: chargeable at certain recycling centres (facilities available at: Bideford, Exeter (Exton Road and Pinbrook Road), Honiton, Kingsbridge, Newton Abbot, Okehampton, Tavistock, Tiverton and Torrington).
Business and commercial waste. Commercial green waste and cardboard is acceptable at certain sites for a charge, by arrangement only. Find out more about the trade recycling scheme here.
Commercial fridges/freezers/air conditioning units are not accepted as well as units from caravans/motorhomes/boats.
Dead pets, pet faeces and soiled litter/bedding material. Your local vet will be able to help you with the cremation of dead pets. You may wish to consider a home composting facility for pet faeces or soiled bedding.
Electric vehicle batteries.
Fireworks (used/unused) – contact the manufacturer for disposal advice.
Flares, explosives and ammunition – please contact your local coastguard (flares)/police station (explosives/ammunition) for disposal advice.
Fly-tipped waste
Ground/Air source heat pumps.
Night storage heaters – only acceptable at recycling centres which accept asbestos, the unit must be double wrapped in tough plastic and sealed. Sites will only accept full appliances.
Oil tanks/Heating oil tanks – please see a list of alternative service providers.
Sanitary wastes (nappies sanitary towels).
Sewage/contents of drains.
Sharps/clinical items: please contact your local district, city or borough council.
Railway sleepers/Utility poles.
Vehicles, vehicle parts, boats, caravans, trailers. (fridges/freezers from caravans/motorhomes/boats are not accepted).

Chargeable waste

Further information about chargeable waste.

Site health and safety

Further information about site health and safety

Site user and vehicle restrictions

Further information about site user and vehicle restrictions.