Burnham Recycling Centre on Crowpiece Lane is the natural tip for the south-western corner of Buckinghamshire — Burnham, Farnham Common, Farnham Royal, Stoke Poges, Hedgerley, Taplow, Dorney and Lent Rise — and, unusually, for a good part of Slough as well.
It is also a five-day site. Along with Chesham, Bledlow Ridge and Aylesbury’s Rabans Lane centre, Burnham is closed every Wednesday and Thursday. That is stated in the council’s Waste Access and Acceptance Policy and confirmed on the site’s own page, but a striking number of third-party tip directories still list it as a seven-day site.
It is also one of the county’s more restricted centres: no asbestos, and no business waste of any kind. Here is the full 2026 picture. Opening days, permit rules and charges are reviewed by the council (charges on 1 April each year), so confirm the current details on buckinghamshire.gov.uk before you load the car.
Burnham tip opening times
Burnham is closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays every week. On the five days it opens, the hours are seasonal:
| Day | Summer (1 Apr – 30 Sep) | Winter (1 Oct – 31 Mar) |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | 9am – 6pm | 9am – 4pm |
| Tuesday | 9am – 6pm | 9am – 4pm |
| Wednesday | Closed | Closed |
| Thursday | Closed | Closed |
| Friday | 9am – 6pm | 9am – 4pm |
| Saturday | 9am – 6pm | 9am – 4pm |
| Sunday | 9am – 6pm | 9am – 4pm |
The site is open on all bank holidays except Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.
Time it for a Tuesday morning
The council publishes its own read on this: Burnham is busiest on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, and quietest on Tuesday mornings. With only 6 bays for unloading, that difference is not marginal — it is the difference between a ten-minute job and a long wait on Crowpiece Lane. There are live webcams at the entrance and inside the site, so you can check before you set off. During busy periods last entry may be brought forward ahead of the published closing time.
Can Slough residents use Burnham tip?
Yes, and without paying the non-resident access fee. This is a genuine quirk worth knowing. Buckinghamshire charges non-residents a per-visit access fee for its recycling centres — but Slough residents are specifically exempt.
Slough Borough Council lists three centres available to its residents: its own Chalvey site on White Hart Road, plus Burnham on Crowpiece Lane and Langley on Langley Park Road — both of which are Buckinghamshire sites.
For everyone else from outside the county, the access fees are steep, and DIY charges sit on top:
| Vehicle | Garden waste | Mixed recycling | General waste |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small car (Fiesta, Corsa) | £28.80 | £33.40 | £37.40 |
| Medium car (Kuga, Sportage) | £65.60 | £75.50 | £99.20 |
| Large car, SUV or small van | £124.80 | £145.10 | £236.40 |
| Large van (Transit, Sprinter) | £187.10 | £217.70 | £472.70 |
All prices include VAT and cash is not accepted. If you are in Maidenhead or the Windsor and Maidenhead area rather than Slough or Bucks, you are paying — and a collection will usually work out cheaper than a large-vehicle access fee before you have counted fuel.
Where is Burnham Recycling Centre?
The address is Crowpiece Lane, Burnham, Buckinghamshire, SL2 3TG, in the lanes north of Burnham village and south of Burnham Beeches.
Its catchment is the affluent SL1 and SL2 belt — Burnham, Farnham Common, Farnham Royal, Stoke Poges, Hedgerley, Dorney and Taplow — along with a slice of Slough. These are large-garden, large-house postcodes, which means the loads people bring tend to be exactly the kind the site restricts: felled timber, shed demolitions, fence runs and building waste.
There are 6 spaces to unload, and no pedestrian access without a walk-in permit.
What Burnham will not take
Burnham is a restricted site. Two significant categories are refused:
- Asbestos — not accepted. The nearest licensed site is Beaconsfield on the A40. Only Amersham, Aston Clinton, Aylesbury, Beaconsfield, High Wycombe and Langley take it.
- Business and commercial waste — none allowed on site at all. Again, Beaconsfield is the nearest option, on a chargeable basis Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.
The county-wide refusals also apply here:
- Dead animals, carcasses and faeces
- Large quantities of animal bedding (1 to 2 bags a week from small domestic pets, double bagged)
- Materials presenting a direct contact risk
- Tree trunks and branches thicker than 20cm or longer than 2m
- Flammables and explosives, such as fireworks or ammunition
- Storage heaters containing asbestos — anything pre-1980, or models with SR at the end of the model number
In this catchment the tree limit is the one that bites. Burnham, Farnham Common and Stoke Poges are full of mature beech and oak, and the site will not take a trunk or branch thicker than 20cm or longer than 2m. After a storm, that is most of what is on the lawn.
Watch the storage heater rule too: pre-1980 units, or any model with SR at the end of the model number, may contain asbestos and are refused — and since Burnham takes no asbestos at all, there is no permit route here either.
Permits and banned vehicles
A normal car needs no permit and no booking — just proof of a Buckinghamshire address. You need a free permit if you arrive in a van, truck or minibus (31 days, renewable to 90), if you are bringing DIY waste (one visit within 7 days), or if you want to enter on foot.
Permits are emailed as a QR code and need a My Buckinghamshire account — and anyone who last used the service before 16 September 2025 has to create a new account first. Apply ahead of the day.
Regardless of permit, these vehicles are refused entry:
- Vehicles with more than 4 wheels
- Vehicles over 7.5 tonnes
- Trailers larger than 2.4m long × 1.8m wide, up to 60cm high with a cover, excluding the tow bar
- Vehicles with tippers or tail lifts
- Tractors or horseboxes
The trailer dimensions are stricter than they look
The limit is 2.4m long by 1.8m wide, up to 60cm high with a cover, excluding the tow bar. A lot of hire trailers and most builders' trailers exceed that on height once loaded. Combined with the ban on tippers and tail lifts, the practical effect is that the vehicles best suited to a big garden or building clearance are exactly the ones the site will not admit.
What you can take to Burnham for free
Burnham handles the standard household range free of charge with proof of a Buckinghamshire address: garden waste, cardboard, paper, wood, metal, electricals, glass, plastics, batteries, textiles, mattresses and furniture.
Garden waste is the big one in this catchment. Burnham, Farnham Common, Stoke Poges and Dorney are large-garden postcodes, and the council’s kerbside garden service is a £65-a-year subscription that runs fortnightly — with a 50kg weight limit per bin and a six-week winter shutdown from 12 December 2026 to 24 January 2027. During that blackout, and for anything over the bin’s capacity, the tip is the free route. Just remember the 20cm and 2m limit on anything woody.
Mattresses and furniture are free here too, which undercuts the council’s own bulky waste collection substantially — that starts at £65 for a band of one to three items, so a lone mattress costs the full £65. If it fits in the car and the site is open, drive it.
Hazardous household waste is capped annually at levels reflecting normal domestic use: 4 fluorescent tubes, 2 car batteries, 10 litres of engine oil, 5 litres of chemicals and 2 LPG cylinders. Anything you cannot place, the council’s Waste Wizard will locate.
DIY and building waste charges
Household waste is free with proof of address. DIY waste is charged once you go past the free allowance that comes with a DIY permit — and DIY waste means anything generated by work on the house or garden, including rubble, soil, turf, fencing and bathroom or kitchen fittings.
| Price | Typical items |
|---|---|
| £4.20 | Rubble, bricks, concrete, soil, sand, stones or roof tiles per 25-litre bag · paving slab · turf · fence panel or post · decking · shed panel · laminate or floorboards · internal door · loft insulation · roofing felt · guttering · radiator · artificial grass |
| £8.30 | Kitchen unit · toilet pan or cistern · bidet · bath and panel · sink and pedestal · empty oil tank |
| £12.50 | Kitchen worktop |
| £16.60 | Window · external door · greenhouse panel · shower tray or screen · fireplace · storage heater · wood burner · empty water tank |
| £25.20 | Whole shed, up to 2m × 2m |
| £29.40 | Boiler |
Anything not on the list is priced by site staff on the day, and their decision is final.
When to have it collected instead
Burnham is free, close and perfectly good for a car-load of household recycling. The case for a collection is strongest when:
- It is Wednesday or Thursday. The gate is locked.
- You have felled timber. Anything over 20cm thick or 2m long is refused outright.
- It is asbestos or trade waste. Neither is accepted here.
- Your vehicle is banned. Tipper, tail lift or an oversized trailer means no entry.
- It is a full shed, garage or garden clearance. Several trips, several permits, per-item charges.
The council’s bulky waste collection covers some of this at £65 for 1–3 items, £130 for 4–6 and £195 for 7–9, but it caps at nine items, takes no building or DIY waste, rubble, garden waste or glass panels, requires everything at your boundary by 6am, and the crew will not enter your property or use steps.
A man-and-van collection from £95 covers Burnham, Farnham Common, Stoke Poges and Iver seven days a week, takes the builders’ and DIY waste the council refuses, and does the loading from wherever it actually is.
Burnham Recycling Centre FAQs
Is Burnham tip open on Wednesday?
No. Burnham is closed every Wednesday and Thursday. It is one of four Buckinghamshire five-day sites, along with Chesham, Bledlow Ridge and Aylesbury (Rabans Lane).
What time does Burnham tip close?
6pm from 1 April to 30 September, and 4pm from 1 October to 31 March. Last entry may be brought forward when the site is busy.
Where is Burnham Recycling Centre?
Crowpiece Lane, Burnham, Buckinghamshire, SL2 3TG. There are 6 spaces for vehicles to unload.
Can Slough residents use Burnham tip for free?
Yes. Slough residents are exempt from the Buckinghamshire non-resident access fee. Slough Borough Council lists Burnham and Langley alongside its own Chalvey site as the three centres available to its residents.
Does Burnham take asbestos?
No. Burnham is not licensed for asbestos. The nearest site that accepts it is Beaconsfield, where it costs £5.80 per square metre with an asbestos permit.
When is Burnham tip quietest?
Tuesday mornings, according to the council. It is busiest on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Live webcams at the entrance and inside the site let you check the queue first.
Do I need a permit for a van at Burnham?
Yes. Vans, trucks and minibuses need a free vehicle waste permit, valid 31 days and renewable to 90. It comes as a QR code by email and needs a My Buckinghamshire account.
Closed midweek. We are not.
Seven-day collection across Burnham, Farnham Common, Farnham Royal, Stoke Poges and Taplow. Felled timber, shed clearances and builders’ waste the tip turns away. From £95.