Calverton Tip (Recycling Centre): Opening Times, Registration and What You Can Take

Open

Every day from 8am, including Sundays and bank holidays. Closed 25 and 26 December and 1 January.

Closes

8pm April to September, 6pm in March and October, 4pm November to February.

Who can use it

Nottinghamshire County residents with a registered vehicle. Not Nottingham City residents.

Booking

Not needed for cars. Hire vans need 24 hours' notice. All vans must book from 2 January 2027.

Cost

Free for household waste within the council's limits.

Phone

No direct site number. Council customer services: 0300 500 80 80.

Calverton Recycling Centre on Hollinwood Lane, often called the Gedling tip, is the only Nottinghamshire County Council tip in the borough of Gedling, so it's the go-to site for Calverton, Arnold, Carlton, Ravenshead and the villages around them. It's run by the county council with its contractor Veolia, and it's one of 12 recycling centres across the county.

This guide covers the opening hours for every month, how to register, the rules on vans and trailers (which are changing in January 2027), what you can and can't take, and what to do if the tip isn't an option for you.

Calverton tip opening times

Calverton opens at 8am every day. The closing time depends on the month, and it's the same on weekdays, weekends and bank holidays. The only days it shuts are Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day.

The council says its sites are busy and suggests going in the morning or evening when it's quieter. In practice that means avoiding weekend late mornings and early afternoons, especially in spring and summer when garden waste piles up. If you're arriving close to closing time, give yourself enough time to unload and sort.

How to register for Calverton tip

You can't just turn up in any vehicle. Staff check registration numbers with handheld devices, and an unregistered vehicle may be turned away. Registering is free and takes a few minutes:

1. Create an online account on the Nottinghamshire County Council website, or log in if you already have one.
2. Fill in the recycling centre registration form with your vehicle's registration number. If it's sign-written, you'll be asked what's written on it.
3. That's it. You can use Calverton, or any of the other county recycling centres, straight away. There's no paper permit.

You can register up to two vehicles. If you change your car or move house, fill in the form again so your details stay current. Not online? Call 0300 500 80 80 and they'll register you over the phone.

Who can use Calverton tip

To use Calverton you need to live in Nottinghamshire, bring waste from your own home, and have created that waste yourself.

A few other groups are also turned away:

• Landlords. Waste from a house or flat you rent out counts as trade waste, even if you clear it yourself.
• Anyone with tradesperson's waste. If a builder, plumber or fitter did the job, disposing of the waste is legally their responsibility. See builders waste removal.
• "Man with a van" services. They can't use county tips under any circumstances, even with your household waste on board.
• Businesses. Commercial waste isn't accepted. Use a licensed commercial waste service.

Vans, trailers and the 2027 van booking system

What's allowed now

Once registered, you can visit in a car or minibus (with or without a trailer up to 3m long and 2m wide), a van, a pick-up, a campervan or a motorbike. You can't bring a trailer behind a van or pick-up, or use a horsebox or any vehicle used to carry animals.

If you're using a hire van for your own household waste, you have to apply for temporary access at least 24 hours before your visit, telling the council which centre, the date, the hire company and what you're bringing. Take the hire agreement with you, because you can be refused entry without it. You'll also be refused if you use a sign-written vehicle connected to the waste, such as paint in a decorator's van.

Changes for vans from 2 January 2027

In September 2026 the county council announced a new system to tackle trade waste being passed off as household waste. From 2 January 2027:

• Every van must have a pre-booked appointment, made online. Vans without one will be turned away.
• Vans must be registered again under the new system.
• Each van is limited to six visits a year.
• Luton vans, box vans, flatbeds and anything over 3.5 tonnes gross vehicle weight will be banned.
• Vans won't be accepted at every tip every day. Each centre will take vans every fourth day on a rota, with three sites available on any given day. On some days you may need to use a different tip.

The council says it'll give out leaflets at sites this autumn explaining how to book. Cars aren't affected, but if you usually do big clear-outs in a van, plan for fewer, bigger trips from next year.

What you can take to Calverton tip

Most household items are accepted. Anything from DIY, such as rubble, plasterboard, tiles and timber, is capped by the council's DIY limits:

What Calverton tip won't take

• Asbestos. Not accepted at any county tip. If you removed it yourself from your own home, the council runs a paid booking service (£140) at a dedicated site, subject to its criteria. Ironing boards with an asbestos rest plate have a separate free service.
• Tyres. Most garages will take them, sometimes for a small fee.
• Car parts. Everything except engine oil and standard car batteries, including seats removed from a car.
• Trade or commercial waste, in any vehicle.
• Healthcare waste, including needles and syringes, plus nappies and sanitary products.
• Animal waste and bedding, dead animals, and fireworks.
• Oil tanks, which need a qualified technician to decommission them.
• Gas bottles (return them to the supplier) and fire extinguishers over 2kg.

Before you go

• Sort your load at home. Staff open mixed bags to sort the contents, so pre-sorting saves time. Over 80% of what the county's sites take in gets recycled.
• Wear sturdy shoes, and keep children and pets in the car the whole time.
• Easy access. Calverton has no steps or raised platforms, which makes it one of the easier county sites if you struggle with stairs. Staff can help you unload if you ask.
• Got usable paint? Drop it at the Community RePaint point instead of the chemicals store. Residents and community groups can also book to collect paint for free.

If you need more than Calverton tip can handle

The tip is great for a boot-load or a single trip. It's not always the right answer, though:

It's worth doing the maths. Once you add van hire, fuel, your time and a second or third trip, a "free" tip run often isn't much cheaper than having someone collect the lot in one go. And from January 2027, every van visit will need a booking slot too. A licensed collection means someone else does the loading, lifting and driving, and you get your Saturday back.

Can't do the tip run? Get waste removal quotes in Calverton

The tip is the cheapest option when it works. It doesn't work for everyone, though. Maybe the sofa won't fit in your car, you're over the DIY limits, you're a landlord, you live in the city, or you'd rather not spend a Saturday queuing. You have three realistic options:

• Council bulky collection. Often cheapest for one to three items. In Gedling borough (which covers Calverton, Arnold and Carlton), prices from April 2026 are £26 for one item, £13 each for two or three, and £8 each for four to nine. See our council collection guide.
• A skip. Worth it for a long renovation you'll fill over days. See skip hire vs man and van.
• A licensed waste removal company. They load and take it away, usually at a time that suits you, and they'll take mixed loads the tip won't. This is what we compare for you.

Fill in the form, or call 07348 454816, and we'll pass your details to up to three licensed local companies covering Calverton so they can quote.

Nearest other tips to Calverton

Your registration works at all 12 county recycling centres, so if Calverton is busy, or it isn't taking vans that day after January 2027, these are your closest options.

All county sites keep the same hours as Calverton. Nottingham City residents should use Redfield Road. For every tip in the area in one place, see our Nottingham tips and recycling centres guide.

Prefer someone else to do the loading?

If a trip to Hollinwood Lane isn't practical (no van, too much to carry, or it's waste the tip won't take), Compare Waste Nottingham connects you with up to 3 vetted, fully licensed local companies. You compare real collection quotes side by side, for free.

📞 Call 07348 454816 or get free quotes online here.

This page is an independent guide and isn't run by or affiliated with Nottinghamshire County Council or Veolia. Rules can change, so check the council's pages before a big trip: Calverton Recycling Centre, using the recycling centres, what you can take, the 2027 van system announcement and Gedling bulky waste collections.