Lewes tip at Ham Lane opens 9am to 4pm every day; Newhaven and Seaford are on winter hours, 8am to 4pm. Every visit must be booked. Christmas hours inside.
The Lewes tip at Ham Lane is open 9am to 4pm, seven days a week, all year. Newhaven is open every day, and Seaford only Friday to Sunday; both are now on winter hours, closing at 4pm. You cannot just turn up: every visit to an East Sussex tip has to be booked online first, including on foot or by bike.
The quick answer
Checked again on 7 October: the county’s site pages show the winter hours for Newhaven and Seaford, matching last winter’s, and no special dates have been added yet.
- Lewes (Ham Lane, BN7 3PS): 9am to 4pm every day. No pedestrians; cars, vans on set days, and cyclists.
- Newhaven (New Road, BN9 0EH): 8am to 4pm Monday to Saturday, 9am to 4pm Sunday, until 31 March. Seaford (Cradle Hill, BN25 3JE) opens Friday, Saturday and Sunday only, on the same winter hours.
- Book a slot first on East Sussex County Council’s booking page. Last Christmas all three shut on 25 and 26 December and 1 January.
Opening hours at the three district tips
East Sussex County Council runs the tips, not the district council. These hours are from its site pages for Lewes, Newhaven and Seaford, checked on 7 October 2026.
| Tip | Summer (1 Apr to 30 Sep) | Winter (1 Oct to 31 Mar) |
|---|---|---|
| Lewes, Ham Lane | 9am to 4pm, every day | 9am to 4pm, every day |
| Newhaven, New Road | 8am to 5pm, every day | 8am to 4pm Mon to Sat; 9am to 4pm Sun |
| Seaford, Cradle Hill | 8am to 5pm, Fri, Sat, Sun only | 8am to 4pm Fri and Sat; 9am to 4pm Sun |
Lewes keeps the same hours all year. Newhaven and Seaford switched to the winter table on 1 October, and the county’s pages now show it, unchanged from last winter.
What Lewes tip takes, and what it does not
The Ham Lane site page lists what you can bring. Most of it is free:
- Recycling: cardboard, newspapers and magazines, glass bottles and jars, cans and tins, aluminium foil, aerosols, plastic bottles, books, clothes and shoes, scrap metal, wood and MDF
- Electricals: everything from fridges, freezers, washing machines and TVs down to kettles, vapes, mobile phones, smoke alarms and Christmas tree lights
- Bulky and household: furniture, mattresses, carpet and underlay, general household waste, green garden waste
- Hazardous in small amounts: paint (water and solvent based), household chemicals in sealed labelled containers, car and household batteries, fluorescent tubes, cooking oil, engine oil (10 litres a visit), printer cartridges, nitrous oxide bottles
- Charged: rubble and hardcore and soil over the weekly allowance, and tyres
Four things catch people out at Lewes in particular:
- Plastics. The Lewes tip only takes plastic bottles. Pots, tubs, trays, bags and hard plastics such as empty plant pots go elsewhere: the county lists Newhaven and Seaford as the nearest tips that take hard plastic.
- Plasterboard and asbestos are not taken at Lewes at all. Both go to Newhaven.
- Bedding. Duvets, sheets and pillows are not recycled; they go in the general waste.
- Business waste is not accepted at any household tip.
Christmas and New Year
The county posts festive changes in a “special dates” table on each site page, and those dates override the normal hours. Nothing is listed for 2026 yet. This is what the pages said for last Christmas:
| Day (2025/26) | Lewes | Newhaven | Seaford |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christmas Eve | 9am to 1pm | 8am to 1pm | Closed |
| Christmas Day | Closed | Closed | Closed |
| Boxing Day | Closed | Closed | Closed |
| New Year’s Eve | 9am to 1pm | 8am to 1pm | Closed |
| New Year’s Day | Closed | Closed | Closed |
Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve 2026 fall on Thursdays, which are normal Seaford closing days anyway. All three tips take real Christmas trees in the green garden waste area, and Christmas tree lights with the other electricals.
The district’s bins also skip 25 to 28 December this year, and Friday rounds go 11 days with no collection. The dates for every round are on our Lewes Christmas bin collections page.
Booking and what to bring
The county’s booking and site rules page sets out how it works:
- Book up to two weeks ahead, online or on 0345 60 80 194. Same-day slots are fine if there is space. Most slots are 30 minutes.
- Bring your booking confirmation and one proof of address, such as a photocard driving licence, a council tax bill or a utility bill under a year old.
- It is free for East Sussex residents. People from outside the county pay £8.75 a visit, by card on arrival.
- Pedestrians and cyclists must book too. Lewes does not allow pedestrians at all, because the road to the site has no pavement; cyclists use the main entrance. Newhaven and Seaford have pedestrian entrances.
- Parking outside and carrying waste in on foot is not allowed at any site.
Vans, trailers and tall vehicles
- Vans: Lewes and Newhaven take vans on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays only. Seaford’s page says Saturdays only. Vans must be under 3,500kg and cannot be Luton, flatbed, tipper, cage or box vans. Book as a van, or you will be turned away.
- Height barrier: 2 metres at every site, opened for tall vehicles on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Blue Badge holders with a taller vehicle can visit any day.
- Trailers: up to 1.8 metres long at Lewes, Newhaven and Seaford, not counting the tow bar.
Charges and what each tip takes
Most household waste and recycling is free, including furniture, mattresses, fridges, electricals, paint, cardboard, glass and garden waste. The county charges for DIY waste over a weekly free allowance, and payment is by card only:
| Waste | Free each week (Mon to Sun) | Charge over that | Taken at |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rubble and hardcore | Two 50-litre bags or one item | £6.50 a bag or item | All three |
| Soil | Two 50-litre bags | £6.50 a bag | All three |
| Plasterboard | Two 50-litre bags or one sheet | £6.50 a bag or sheet | Newhaven only |
| Bonded asbestos | None (max 6 bags or 4 sheets a month) | £8.00 a bag or sheet | Newhaven only |
| Tyres | None (max 4 a month) | £2.70 a tyre | Lewes and Newhaven |
Hard plastics such as garden furniture, water butts and plant pots are recycled at Newhaven and Seaford, but not at Lewes. Every site has a reuse shop selling second-hand items, and you need a booking to visit it; the Lewes shop is card only, according to the county’s reuse shops page.
Frequently asked questions
What are the Lewes tip opening times?
The Lewes tip at Ham Lane, BN7 3PS, is open 9am to 4pm every day of the week, in summer and winter. Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day were closed last year.
Do I need to book the Lewes tip?
Yes. Every visit to an East Sussex tip must be booked in advance, online or on 0345 60 80 194. You can book up to two weeks ahead, or on the day if a slot is free. Most slots are 30 minutes.
Can I walk to the Lewes tip?
No. There is no pedestrian access at Ham Lane because the road has no pavement. Cyclists can book and use the main entrance. Newhaven and Seaford both have pedestrian entrances.
When can I take a van to the Lewes tip?
Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays only, and the van must be booked as a van. It must be under 3,500kg and cannot be a Luton, flatbed, tipper, cage or box van.
Does the Lewes tip take plasterboard?
No. Plasterboard and bonded asbestos go to Newhaven, which is the only tip in the district that takes them.
How much does the Lewes tip cost?
It is free for East Sussex residents, apart from DIY rubble or soil over two 50-litre bags a week (£6.50 a bag) and tyres (£2.70 each). Anyone living outside East Sussex pays £8.75 a visit by card.
Still to be confirmed
- Christmas 2026 opening: the special dates tables were filled in by 23 December last year; we will add this year’s as soon as they appear.
For bin days, bulky waste and garden waste, see our Lewes bin collection days page. Road closures that could slow the trip are on roadworks and travel, and town centre parking is on parking in Lewes.
Have your say