Richmond Tip (Townmead Road, Kew): Booking, Opening Hours and What You Can Take

Where is the Richmond tip? Townmead Road Reuse and Recycling Centre in Kew

People search for the Richmond tip, the Richmond dump, the Townmead tip and the Richmond recycling centre. All of these are the same place: Townmead Road Reuse and Recycling Centre, Townmead Road (off Mortlake Road), Kew, TW9 4EL. Richmond Council calls it the main recycling centre in Richmond upon Thames. It sits next to Mortlake Crematorium, which is why local press sometimes calls it the Mortlake recycling site. If you live close by, our page on rubbish removal in Kew and the TW9 area covers the surrounding streets.

The borough also has more than 60 small recycling sites, but they are for everyday recycling, not furniture, rubble or appliances. Bulky items, garden waste, DIY waste and hazardous household items all go to Townmead Road. Leaving bulky items beside the small street sites counts as fly-tipping, and the council says commercial waste should go to Townmead Road, not to those sites.

Who can use it: Richmond is part of the West London Waste Authority (WLWA), not the south-west London group. Townmead Road is open to residents of Richmond upon Thames and the other WLWA boroughs: Brent, Ealing, Harrow, Hillingdon and Hounslow. The same arrangement works the other way, so Richmond residents can book at other WLWA sites. A 2021 local news report said Richmond residents cannot use the Wandsworth and Kingston tips, even though they are closer for some, because those boroughs are in a different waste authority area.

Do you need to book the Richmond tip? How Townmead Road booking works

Yes. The council's wording is direct: 'Residents arriving without a booking will not be allowed entry.' Booking became essential after a major fire at the site in June 2021, when it reopened with reduced capacity, and the requirement has stayed. You can book up to 14 days ahead if slots are available, through the Townmead Road page on the Richmond Council website.

Businesses and tradespeople work differently. They don't book a slot, but they must hold a valid waste carriers licence and show it to site staff before tipping. Trade visitors use a separate zone and have shorter hours (see the next section).

What are the Richmond tip opening hours?

Residents and traders have different hours. Residents can visit seven days a week with a booking. Trade access is weekdays only and closes earlier. The hours below are taken from the council's Townmead Road page, checked October 2026.

An older council FAQ gives 3.30pm as the last entry for vans. If you're bringing a van, book an earlier slot so you're not caught out by the cut-off. With 30 minutes to unload, a late-afternoon van slot leaves very little margin.

Quietest times: we found no reliable data on when Townmead Road is least busy, so we won't guess. Every resident visit is booked, so what matters in practice is which slots are free, not when the queues are shortest. Weekend slots are the obvious pressure point for people who work weekdays, so book as far ahead as the 14-day window allows. For questions the booking system can't answer, the council's recycling team is on recycling@richmond.gov.uk, Monday to Friday, 9am–5pm.

What can you take to Townmead Road tip, and what gets turned away?

The site is split into three zones. Zones 1 and 2 are for residents. Zone 3 is for trade and has its own access route. Knowing which zone takes what helps you load the car in the right order, with small hazardous items and electricals together and bulky material together.

The council's FAQ also lists TVs and monitors, large appliances, cooking oil, used engine oil, hazardous household chemicals, lightbulbs, and bulky recyclable and non-recyclable items. Don't pour engine oil or cooking oil into the wrong container. Some hazardous waste can be collected free by the Household Hazardous Waste Service, which the City of London Corporation runs for Richmond. Hard plastics and general waste from Zone 2 go for incineration with energy recovery, so separating recyclables first makes a difference.

A few items have better routes. Leftover household paint can go for reuse through Community RePaint at Townmead Road. Gas bottles should ideally go back to the supplier, with Townmead Road as the fallback. If you mostly have hedge cuttings and grass, Zone 2 takes green waste, or see garden waste removal in Richmond for larger amounts. Residents can also buy compost bins on site.

Can you take a van or trailer to the Richmond tip?

Yes, if it is small enough. The current council page allows cars, motorcycles, bicycles (including trailers and cargo bikes) and small vans only. A small van is one with a load space no bigger than 1.7 m long × 1.5 m wide × 1.2 m high. An older council page gives examples: Citroen Nemo, Peugeot Bipper, Fiat Fiorino, Ford Connect, VW Caddy, Vauxhall Combo, Renault Kangoo, Citroen Berlingo and Peugeot Partner.

On trailers, the council FAQ says: 'Yes, you can bring a small trailer.' It doesn't give trailer dimensions in the material we found, so if yours is on the large side, ask before booking.

Is the Richmond tip free? What you might be charged for

For most household waste, yes. The charges apply to construction and demolition (C&D) waste, including waste from preparatory works. The council defines this as anything that 'once formed part of the permanent fixtures and fittings of your home', such as old kitchen units, a removed bathroom suite, tiles or rubble. Several websites describe Townmead Road as simply free for residents and leave out the C&D charge.

DIY waste is free only if all four conditions apply. Richmond's allowance matches a government announcement that householders should be able to leave small amounts of DIY waste at recycling centres free of charge. The West London Waste Authority said it would keep its existing charging until the details were confirmed. We couldn't confirm the regulation's name or start date, so treat the council's Townmead Road page as the final word. Above the allowance, DIY waste is charged by weight. We couldn't find the current residents' rate on the council pages we checked in October 2026, so ask the recycling team if you're planning a large load.

The trade rates are exempt from VAT. They are the latest the council published, but they were stated as valid until 31 March 2026, and we could not find the 2026/27 figures. Traders bringing green waste must tell the weighbridge operator first, and the load must be entirely green waste to get the lower rate.

Can someone else take your rubbish to the Richmond tip?

It depends on whether money changes hands. If you pay someone to take your rubbish, the council treats it as trade waste. The person needs a waste carriers licence, uses the trade zone on weekdays, and pays trade rates by weight. Any business that carries waste, its own or someone else's, paid or unpaid, must register as a waste carrier with the Environment Agency.

Friends and neighbours: a Covid-era council FAQ said it was fine to bring a neighbour's waste as long as you could lift it yourself. The current Townmead Road page doesn't confirm this, so check with the council before doing someone else's tip run, especially if it involves DIY waste or a van, where proof of residence is asked for.

Landlords, letting agents and executors: the free DIY allowance is tied to waste the occupiers produced at their own home. If you're clearing a rental property or a late relative's house, contact the council before assuming a load will be free. For larger clearances, hiring a licensed carrier is usually more practical than repeated car trips.

No car or no slot? Other ways to get rid of rubbish in Richmond

Townmead Road doesn't suit everyone. Pedestrians are not permitted, though bicycles and cargo bikes are allowed. Slots can be hard to find at popular times, and a sofa or a garage full of junk won't fit in a hatchback. These are the main alternatives.

A July 2026 local news report described Richmond's full-price bulky charge as the most expensive in London. Our guide to the Richmond council bulky waste collection explains what the fee covers and when it makes sense.

If the job is bigger than a few items, needs carrying out of the house, or you can't get a tip slot that suits you, you can post it on RubbishBids with photos and your postcode. EA-licensed waste carriers bid, you compare the bids and choose one, and only the carrier you select gets your contact details. Carriers are licensed and must issue a waste transfer note. For typical private prices locally, see what rubbish removal costs in Richmond. For the service itself, see household rubbish removal in Richmond or the main Richmond rubbish removal page.