Hounslow changed its tip rules in 2026, and most of what is written online about Space Waye is now out of date. In February 2026 the council announced a six-month trial, live from 9 March, that removed the booking requirement on Mondays to Thursdays. Weekends and bank holidays still need a slot.
That makes Hounslow, for the moment, one of the easier West London boroughs for a midweek tip run — a genuine contrast with neighbouring Ealing, where the site is shut on Wednesdays and Thursdays and booking is compulsory every day it is open.
There is a catch, and it is a big one: you can only take a van or trailer once per calendar year. Here is the full picture for 2026. Rules, hours and charges at recycling centres change without much notice, so confirm the current details on hounslow.gov.uk or westlondonwaste.gov.uk before you load the car.
Where is the Hounslow tip?
The borough’s recycling centre is Space Waye, on the North Feltham Trading Estate, Pier Road, off Faggs Road, Feltham, TW14 0TH. It sits just north of Heathrow, which is why people from well outside the borough know the name.
It is a comfortable run from Hounslow and Feltham, and a longer one from Chiswick and Brentford at the eastern end of the borough. The estate roads around Faggs Road get busy with commercial traffic on weekday mornings, so allow more time than the map suggests.
Opening hours
Space Waye is open 8am to 3.30pm, seven days a week for residents.
There is a separate set of hours for vans, trailers and trade: 8am to 3pm, seven days a week, with last entry at 2.45pm. Those visits go in through gate 3 on Heron Way and unload in the trade section of the site — not the household area. If you turn up in a van at 3.15pm you are too late, even though the site is technically still open.
Check before a bank holiday
Bank holidays revert to booking-required under the trial, and site works do happen — the trade area was disrupted for equipment repairs in early August 2026 while the public area stayed open. A thirty-second check of hounslow.gov.uk beats a loaded round trip.
The 2026 booking trial: which days need a slot
This is the single most useful thing to know about Space Waye right now, and the thing most guides get wrong.
| Day | Booking needed? | What to bring |
|---|---|---|
| Monday – Thursday | No (trial from 9 March 2026) | Proof of address |
| Friday – Sunday | Yes | Photo ID + utility or Council Tax bill |
| Bank holidays | Yes | Photo ID + utility or Council Tax bill |
The bill can be shown on your phone — you do not need a paper copy. On booking days, slots can be reserved up to two weeks in advance, you get 30 minutes on site, and you can arrive within your slot or up to ten minutes after it ends.
The trial was announced in February 2026 and ran for six months from 9 March. Whether it becomes permanent is a council decision — so if you are reading this well after summer 2026, confirm the current arrangement before relying on a midweek walk-up.
How often can you go?
Hounslow caps visits, and the van limit in particular is one of the tightest in London.
- Residents: a maximum of two visits a day and three visits a week.
- Vans and trailers: once per calendar year.
- One companion is allowed to help, but site staff cannot physically assist you.
- Only bring what you and your passenger can lift between you.
That once-a-year van rule effectively rules out DIY disposal for anything substantial. A house clearance, a garden strip-out or a renovation is several van loads by definition — you get one, and then you are into trade charges.
When trade rates kick in
Hounslow applies trade waste pricing if you exceed your single annual van visit, if you borrow a van that has already been used for a visit, if you have used a removals service, or if you are disposing of waste from a property you let out. Landlords in particular should assume trade rates from the start rather than being surprised at the gate.
What can you take to Space Waye?
Space Waye takes the full household range in separate bays: paper and card, glass, plastics, cans, garden waste, wood, scrap metal, electricals, appliances, textiles, batteries and furniture. The council asks you to pre-sort by type before you arrive, and with a 30-minute slot on booking days that is advice worth taking literally.
Bear in mind the lifting rule when you plan the load. Staff cannot physically help you, and you may bring only one companion — so the practical limit on what you can take is what two people can carry between them, not what fits in the vehicle. A cast-iron bath or a chest freezer is a collection job, not a tip job.
The usual hazardous exclusions apply: asbestos, gas cylinders, explosives, clinical waste and fuels all need specialist routes. Fridges and freezers follow a regulated degassing process — if you cannot get one there, a fridge and freezer collection handles the same route from your kitchen.
Trade and business waste
Trade customers use the same 8am to 3pm, last entry 2.45pm window as vans, enter via gate 3 (Heron Way), and do not book — but they do pay.
If you are a business, you are also under a duty of care: waste must move through a registered carrier and be documented with a transfer note. That obligation does not disappear because the load is small or the van is unmarked.
A licensed collection handles the paperwork as standard — see commercial waste management.
Getting there, and timing it properly
Space Waye sits inside a working trading estate rather than on a residential road, and that shapes the whole trip. Pier Road runs off Faggs Road, and the estate carries HGV and airport-related traffic through the morning. The satnav time is optimistic on a weekday between 8am and 10am.
The trial has changed the rhythm of the site noticeably. With no booking needed Monday to Thursday, midweek walk-ups now absorb demand that used to be spread across booked slots — so the quiet midweek afternoon is less reliably quiet than it was. Fridays through Sundays remain slot-controlled, which keeps them orderly but means you are committed to a time.
- Best bet: Monday to Thursday, mid-morning after the commercial traffic thins, or the last hour before the 3.30pm close.
- Worst bet: Saturday and Sunday late morning — slots are booked out furthest ahead, and the queue to the gate still forms.
- In a van: aim to arrive well before 2.45pm, the last entry for the trade and van gate, not the 3.30pm household close.
- Bank holidays: booking is required, and they book up first.
One more piece of planning worth doing before you set off: check that what you are bringing is actually accepted, and that you are within the two-a-day, three-a-week visit cap. Being turned round on the third trip of a weekend, with the car still full, is a particularly annoying way to learn the rule exists.
How Hounslow compares to its neighbours
It is worth knowing where you stand if you live near a borough boundary — though note you can generally only use your own borough’s site.
| Borough | Site | Booking | Van rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hounslow | Space Waye, Feltham | Mon–Thu no, Fri–Sun yes | Once a year |
| Hillingdon | Harefield, UB9 | Not required for cars | 12 visits a year |
| Ealing | Greenford Road, UB6 | Always required | Weighbridge, 3.5t max |
| Harrow | Forward Drive, HA3 | Always required for cars | Charged by weight |
Hillingdon’s twelve van visits a year is by some distance the most generous of the four — the detail is in our Hillingdon tip guide. Harrow’s weigh-bridge charging is covered in the Harrow guide.
The load-and-go alternative
One van visit a year does not clear a house. We collect across Hounslow, Feltham, Isleworth, Brentford and Chiswick with no annual cap, no slot, no 2.45pm last entry and no lifting on your part.
We are a registered waste carrier. Household and trade waste both move legally with the correct transfer note, and loads are sorted for recycling. Pricing is by volume from £95, fixed before we start — send a photo on WhatsApp for a price.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to book Space Waye?
Not on Mondays to Thursdays, under the six-month trial that began on 9 March 2026. Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays still require a booked slot.
What are Space Waye opening hours?
Residents: 8am to 3.30pm, seven days a week. Vans, trailers and trade: 8am to 3pm with last entry at 2.45pm, via gate 3 on Heron Way.
How many times can I take a van to the Hounslow tip?
Once per calendar year. Beyond that, trade waste charges apply — as they do if you borrow a van that has already been used, if you have used a removals service, or if the waste is from a property you let out.
What ID do I need for Space Waye?
Proof of address on non-booking days. On booking days you need photo ID plus a utility or Council Tax bill, which can be shown on your phone.
How long do I get on site?
Thirty minutes on booking days. You can arrive within your slot or up to ten minutes after it ends.
Can staff help me unload?
No. You may bring one companion to help, but site staff cannot give physical assistance — only bring what the two of you can lift.
Used Your One Van Visit?
No annual cap, no slot, no 2.45pm last entry, and no lifting. We collect across Hounslow, Feltham, Isleworth and Chiswick — often same day. Send a photo for a fixed price.