Polmadie at a glance
Polmadie Recycling Centre sits at 425 Polmadie Road, G42 0PJ, serving Glasgow's south side. It is open seven days a week, 8am to 6pm, with last entry at 5.45pm.
It is for Glasgow residents disposing of household waste. Trade waste is not accepted, and presenting trade waste as household waste is not a grey area — that needs a licensed carrier and a transfer note, which is covered in builders waste removal.
Hours change around public holidays and can change at short notice, so check the council's own recycling centres page before you travel.
- 425 Polmadie Road, Glasgow G42 0PJ
- Open 7 days, 8am–6pm
- Last entry 5.45pm
- NO residential vans
- No vehicles over 1.8m or 3.5 tonnes
- Glasgow residents only
The van rule that catches people out
This is the important part. **Polmadie does not accept residential vans**, and it does not accept any vehicle exceeding 1.8 metres in height or 3.5 tonnes in weight.
That 1.8 metre limit is lower than it sounds. It rules out most transit-style vans, many hire vans, and a surprising number of large SUVs and people carriers with roof boxes fitted. If you have hired something to do a clear-out, there is a real chance it will not get through the barrier.
Glasgow's answer for van users is Dawsholm, which accepts residential vans in defined windows — see our Dawsholm guide. Shieldhall is currently closed to householders using vans, so Dawsholm is effectively the option.
The general picture across Scotland is in can you take a van to a Scottish recycling centre.
Van turned away at the barrier?
It happens at Polmadie more than anywhere. We are licensed to carry it — we come to you, and we do the lifting.
What Polmadie takes
The usual household streams: garden waste, timber, metal, rubble and hardcore, cardboard and paper, plastics, glass, textiles, and electricals under WEEE (anything with a plug or a battery). Fridges and freezers are accepted and degassed properly rather than crushed.
What it will not take is the same list as everywhere: asbestos, gas cylinders, chemicals and solvents in bulk, clinical waste and tyres in quantity. Each needs its own route, and our hazardous and special waste page sets out who to call for each.
Plasterboard is the one people forget. It has to be kept out of general and biodegradable waste by law, so it is handled separately — see plasterboard disposal.
When it is easier to have it collected
Polmadie is genuinely fine for a car boot of cardboard and a couple of bags. It stops being the right tool the moment you are dealing with a flat clearance, a sofa, a fridge and a washing machine together, or anything that needs a van to move.
We cover the whole south side — Govanhill, Battlefield, Shawlands, Mount Florida, Cathcart, Rutherglen and Castlemilk — and we do the carrying, including down tenement stairs. No permit, no booking, no proof of address, and loads start at £100 + VAT.
See rubbish removal in Glasgow, house clearance or bulky waste collection.
Glasgow's other recycling centres
Glasgow runs four household waste recycling centres. Dawsholm in the north west takes vans in defined windows. Easter Queenslie in the east is currently closed for redevelopment. Shieldhall in the south west is open but closed to householders using vans.
All four, with the permit and van picture across the city, are covered in our Glasgow recycling centres guide.
