Efford, Marchwood and Somerley tips open 9am to 4pm from 1 October to 28 February, close on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day, and need a booking.
The New Forest has three household waste recycling centres, and none of them belongs to the district council. Efford at Lymington, Marchwood on the Waterside and Somerley outside Ringwood are Hampshire County Council sites, run by Veolia, and they all keep the same hours. From 1 October those hours shorten to 9am to 4pm, and they stay that way until the end of February. The other rule that catches people is the booking: every visit needs an appointment, and staff turn away cars that do not have one.
The quick answer
Efford, Marchwood and Somerley open 9am to 6pm from 1 April to 30 September, 9am to 4pm from 1 October to 28 February, and 9am to 5pm in March, seven days a week, closing only on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day (Hampshire County Council). Efford and Marchwood shut for lunch between 1pm and 1.30pm. You must book a slot, up to a week ahead or same day if there is space, online or on the OurHants app (Hampshire County Council). Vans, pick-ups and trailers need a permit, and pedestrians are not allowed in.
The three sites
| Site | Address | Lunch closure | Steps | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Efford | Milford Road, Pennington, Lymington SO41 8EZ | 1pm to 1.30pm | Not listed | 01590 671874 |
| Marchwood | Normandy Way, Marchwood SO40 4UD | 1pm to 1.30pm | Yes | Not listed |
| Somerley | Verwood Road, Ringwood Forest, Somerley BH24 3QE | None listed | Yes | Not listed |
Sources: Efford, Marchwood and Somerley on hants.gov.uk. Any New Forest resident can use any of the county’s sites, so Totton households often find Marchwood or the Southampton sites quicker than Efford.
Opening hours through the year
| Dates | Hours |
|---|---|
| 1 October to 28 February | 9am to 4pm |
| 1 March to 31 March | 9am to 5pm |
| 1 April to 30 September | 9am to 6pm |
| Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day | Closed |
Boxing Day 2026 is Saturday 26 December. The county’s site pages name the day rather than the bank holiday, so expect the closure on the Saturday, and check the site page before travelling on the substitute bank holiday of Monday 28 December, which is not listed as a closure.
Booking
Every visit needs an appointment. Bookings open up to one week in advance, same-day slots depend on availability, and you can cancel or move a booking from the link in the confirmation email or in the OurHants app. Book with the registration of the car you will actually drive. Each booked slot covers one visit, and a second trip on the same day needs a second booking (Hampshire County Council, site regulations).
- Vans, pick-ups and trailers: may need a permit. A hired van is allowed without one if the hire is for three days or fewer and you show the hire agreement on arrival, booking it as a “hire vehicle”.
- On foot: not permitted. By bike: allowed, with a booked slot.
- From outside Hampshire: Southampton and Portsmouth residents use any site free. Dorset residents can use Somerley free. Everyone else pays £13.50 a visit, charged at booking, and cannot dispose of DIY waste free.
What you can take, and what costs money
Household rubbish, recycling, garden waste, wood, cardboard, batteries, electricals, fridges, mattresses, carpets, furniture and real Christmas trees are all accepted at the three sites, with the trees going in the green waste container. Wrap knives and hand them to staff. Vapes go in the battery bin if the battery comes out safely, otherwise in the electricals container. Animal waste is capped at two double-bagged sacks per household per day. Creosoted railway sleepers are classed as hazardous and are no longer taken (Hampshire County Council, Efford).
Two live warnings on the county’s pages: fridges and freezers “cannot be guaranteed” because of a national shortage of recycling capacity, and you may be sent to another site, and the county’s household DIY allowance is limited. Each household can tip eight 50-litre rubble sacks or four single items in any four-week period free, tracked against the address you give when booking. Above that, soil and rubble cost £3 a sack or item, plasterboard £6 a sack or £10 a sheet (Hampshire County Council). Work done by a tradesperson does not count as DIY.
On site: reverse park, keep children and animals in the car, and check no one is working in a container before you throw anything in. Most sites have a Blue Badge space.
Christmas
The three sites close on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day and are otherwise open 9am to 4pm through the holiday. Because kerbside collections move by a day or more after Christmas, the tip is the council’s own suggested overflow: on the same page that suspends garden waste from 21 December to 1 January, New Forest District Council points residents to the tips and its community recycling banks for extra rubbish and recycling (New Forest District Council). Our Christmas bin collections page tracks the revised dates.
Still to be confirmed
- Any change to the three closure days for 2026/27. The county has not published a separate Christmas notice; the site pages carry the standing rule.
- The fridge and freezer restriction, which the county describes as temporary.
The normal fortnightly bin pattern, garden waste subscription and bulky collections are on New Forest bin collection days. Getting there by road: New Forest roadworks and travel.
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