Dartford tip on Old Rochester Way opens 8am to 4.30pm, Sundays and bank holidays 9am to 4pm. You must book a free slot first. Charges, van rules and Christmas.
The Dartford tip is the household waste recycling centre on Old Rochester Way, on Dartford Heath. It is run by Kent County Council, not Dartford Borough Council, and it refuses entry to anyone who has not booked a slot. Booking is free and can be done on the day.
The quick answer
- Opening times: 8am to 4.30pm Monday to Saturday, 9am to 4pm on Sunday and bank holidays.
- You must book a slot before you go. Book on the same day or up to two weeks ahead, as many visits a day as you need, at no cost.
- Address: Old Rochester Way, Dartford Heath, Dartford DA1 3QU. There is a 2 metre height barrier.
All of the above is from Kent County Council’s Dartford household waste recycling centre page, read on 25 September 2026.
Opening times
| Day | Open |
|---|---|
| Monday to Saturday | 8am to 4.30pm |
| Sunday | 9am to 4pm |
| Bank holidays | 9am to 4pm |
The council’s page lists one set of hours, with no separate winter timetable.
How to book
Kent County Council’s booking page says entry without a booking is not permitted. What you need to know:
- Same day or up to two weeks ahead. There is no limit on how many times you can visit in a day.
- No account needed. The council says its booking system changed recently and no longer uses customer accounts.
- Bring the booking reference on your phone, printed, or written down, plus a vehicle voucher if your vehicle needs one.
- No internet? Call Kent on 03000 41 73 73, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
You cannot walk waste into the site, and children must stay in the car.
Who can use it, and what it costs
Dartford residents pay nothing to visit. The old Dartford permit scheme ended on 1 April 2023, and residents no longer need to show a permit or ID; the booking system does the job instead.
That matters if you live just over the border in London: anyone who does not pay council tax to a Kent council pays £10 per visit, and the council says that includes Medway residents (Kent County Council).
Most household rubbish and recycling is free. DIY waste is free within a limit, and charged above it:
| Item | Free limit | Charge above the limit |
|---|---|---|
| Tyres (car and motorbike) | None | £3 per tyre, up to 5 a day |
| DIY waste (rubble, soil, bricks, tiles, bathroom ceramics) | 4 visits in 4 weeks, 1 large item or 2 bags per visit | £5 per item or black bag |
| Plasterboard | 4 visits in 4 weeks, 1 large item or 2 bags per visit | £7.50 per sheet or black bag |
Payment is by card only; the council does not take cash or cheques. Plastic kitchen units, non-ceramic sinks, baths and doors have no limit and no charge. Business waste is not accepted at all.
Vans, trailers and tall cars
The 2 metre (6 foot 6 inch) height barrier stops vans, tall 4x4s and cars with roof boxes. Some vehicles need a voucher to get in at all: check Kent’s vehicle restrictions before you book. Kent says it is moving to digital permits for restricted vehicles in November 2026; approved applicants get up to six paper vouchers for now, and paper vouchers will be accepted for a while after the switch.
Fridges and freezers
Kent asked residents on 30 July to hold on to a fridge or freezer for longer if it is safe to do so, because fridge and freezer recycling is under pressure across the UK. It has not said the Dartford site is refusing them.
Christmas and New Year
Kent’s only published rule is its bank holiday line: 9am to 4pm. The bank holidays this Christmas are Friday 25 December, Monday 28 December (the substitute for Boxing Day, which falls on a Saturday) and Friday 1 January 2027 (GOV.UK).
Kent does not say separately whether the tips open on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Last Christmas its festive services page simply told residents to “check the opening times for your nearest household waste recycling centre over the festive period” (Kent County Council, archived 29 December 2025). The reliable test is the booking system: if there is no slot to book on a date, you cannot get in that day.
Christmas trees are not taken by the council’s brown bin garden waste subscription, so the tip is the obvious place for one. Bin dates over the holiday are on our Dartford Christmas bin collections page, and your usual days on Dartford bin collection days.
Getting there
The site is on Old Rochester Way, Dartford Heath, DA1 3QU. Road closures that affect the route are on our Dartford roadworks and travel page.
What is still to be confirmed
- Christmas Day and New Year’s Day opening. We will check Kent’s pages and the booking system in early December and update this section.
- Digital vehicle permits. Kent says the switch happens in November; we will add how to apply when it does.
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