Bicester household waste recycling centre

Plans for Bicester Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC)

Oxfordshire currently has seven household waste recycling centres (HWRCs) across the county (Alkerton near Banbury, Ardley near Bicester, Redbridge near Oxford, Dix Pit near Stanton Harcourt, Stanford in the Vale near Faringdon, Drayton near Abingdon and Oakley Wood near Wallingford) which provide an essential service for residents enabling them to recycle and dispose of household waste not accepted in their kerbside bins. 

The planning permission and lease for Ardley HWRC (near Bicester) both expire in the next few years. Oxfordshire County Council are therefore in the very early stages of developing plans for a new, purpose-built HWRC in Bicester. This would replace the 40 year old Ardley HWRC, which is too small and no longer meets the standards expected of a modern recycling centre. The new HWRC is currently estimated to cost around £6million and will maintain convenient access for residents of Bicester and the surrounding communities across north Oxfordshire.

The council will be following the formal planning process and traffic, road safety, biodiversity and other environmental impacts will be assessed as part of this.  The site will be designed and managed to control noise, smells, litter, drainage, vermin and fly-tipping. Residents and other interested parties will have an opportunity to comment on the proposals as they are developed, including during the formal planning consultation.

If planning is approved, the new centre could open during 2029. It would have the same site rules and waste acceptance policy as the other recycling centres in Oxfordshire, accepting at least the same range of materials as Ardley and include a reuse shop where suitable items can be sold – this has been something which residents have requested and will contribute to the circular economy whereby items and resources can be saved.

The most recent press release from 13 October 2026 can be found on our website.