Oxfordshire County Council has approved a series of operational changes to its seven household waste recycling centres (HWRCs), marking the first major update to the service in several years.
The recommendations, agreed by the council’s cabinet on Tuesday 18 November, include revised opening hours and several policy changes that will be rolled out gradually between early 2026 and late 2027.
For now, all HWRCs will continue to operate 63 hours a week, opening daily from 8.00am to 5.00pm. However, from winter 2027, the council will implement new seasonal hours. Between 01 April and 30 September, sites will open from 9.00am to 5.00pm, reducing weekly opening hours to 56. In winter, from 01 October to 31 March, they will operate from 9.00am to 4.00pm, totalling 49 hours a week.
Holiday closures are also being extended. In addition to the existing shutdown on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day, HWRCs will also close on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve from winter 2027.
The changes follow a major public consultation held in the summer, which received more than 5,800 responses. The council says the amended hours remain favourable compared with many other areas and reflect the public’s feedback.
Read more: Have your say on modernising household waste recycling centres in Oxfordshire
Further changes will take effect from early 2026, coinciding with the introduction of a booking system approved last year. These include requiring customers to separate all recyclable materials from mixed waste before visiting the site, although on-site sorting areas will be available.
Visitors from outside Oxfordshire will be charged £15 per vehicle per visit, and updated procedures for accepting cement bonded asbestos will add the material to the list of chargeable items. The current van and trailer permit scheme will also be updated, including a reduction to 10 permits per year.
Councillor Judy Roberts, Cabinet Member for Place, Environment and Climate Action, said:
“Our officers have listened carefully to what people have said and we thank the public for such detailed and thoughtful feedback this summer. These minor changes to hours and days, supported by the consultation, won’t be implemented until winter 2027.
“Other changes, which will come in early 2026, will see a reduction in van and trailer permits to 10 per year, and a charge for HWRC users from outside the county, the costs of which are currently funded by Oxfordshire’s residents.”
The council says the new charges will help ensure Oxfordshire taxpayers are not subsidising access for residents of neighbouring authorities, many of whom restrict Oxfordshire residents from using their own sites.
