Dorchester, Eco & Environment, Wimborne | Posted on March 10th, 2026 | return to news

New booking system for Dorset tips

From 23 March, local people wanting to use the household recycling centre at four sites in Dorset will have to book.

People wanting to use the tip at Brook Road in Wimborne from 23 March will have to book a slot, with bookings open from Monday 16 March.

The same applies to recycling centres in Dorchester, Shaftesbury and Sherborne.

At the moment, Dorset residents must pay when they use recycling centres run by neighbouring councils. But their residents can use Dorset sites for free. This isn’t sustainable, and it means Dorset households are picking up costs for people who live elsewhere. Introducing a small charge for non-Dorset visitors puts this on a fair footing.

This change also tackles trade waste abuse. Household sites are for residents’ waste only; businesses must use licensed facilities. The booking system will help teams spot and stop business use, keeping costs down for Dorset taxpayers.

Booking takes only a couple of minutes, and same-day slots will be available. If you can’t book online, you can call and they’ll do it for you.

Each site currently sees around 380 visits a day. The new system offers 430 bookable slots daily per site, which can be reserved up to two weeks in advance. Visitors will have a 30-minute arrival window, and multiple bookings on the same day are allowed.

There’s no charge for Dorset residents, but non-Dorset visitors will pay a fee per visit. The other six recycling centres remain open without booking for Dorset residents, except when disposing of DIY waste.

Cllr Jon Andrews, Dorset Council’s Cabinet member for Place Services, said: “We’ve listened to residents and designed a system that’s simple and fair. It improves the experience for Dorset households, ensures taxpayers aren’t covering waste disposal costs for neighbouring areas, and helps prevent business use of household sites. By reducing congestion and improving recycling efficiency, the system also supports a cleaner, greener Dorset.”