# UK Waste & Tip Finder (`nerolabs/uk-waste-tip-finder`) Actor

Find the nearest UK household waste recycling centre (tip) that actually accepts what you need to get rid of.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/nerolabs/uk-waste-tip-finder.md
- **Developed by:** [Adam Pearce](https://apify.com/nerolabs) (community)
- **Categories:** Travel, Automation, Other
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $20.00 / 1,000 site founds

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).

# README

### What does UK Waste & Tip Finder do?

Not sure which tip near you takes a mattress, rubble, or a foam sofa? Enter a postcode and find out in seconds. **UK Waste & Tip Finder** answers the question every UK household, removal company, house clearance business, and man-in-a-van outfit eventually gets stuck on: *which nearby tip actually takes this?* Give it a UK postcode and it returns the nearest household waste recycling centres, sorted by distance, with opening hours, address, and a clear yes/no/unconfirmed on each material you're trying to get rid of, from batteries and garden waste through to mattresses, rubble, and asbestos.

Data is pulled live from [OpenStreetMap](https://www.openstreetmap.org/) civic amenity sites and geocoded with [postcodes.io](https://postcodes.io/), no scraping of individual council websites, so it works the same way whichever of the UK's 300+ waste authorities you're near. Run it on demand, via the [Apify API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2), or on a schedule.

### Why use UK Waste & Tip Finder?

- **Removal and house clearance companies**: get a straight answer on which sites are within range before you load the van, and a clear warning that free household tips are not for trade waste (most councils will turn a liveried van away or fine you, you need a registered waste carrier and a licensed trade facility instead).
- **Furniture stores and man-in-a-van businesses**: check disposal options for bulky or awkward items before promising a customer "we'll take the old one away."
- **Residents**: stop guessing whether the local tip takes a mattress, a fridge, or a car battery, and find out about the material categories that genuinely trip people up, like POPs-containing furniture (foam-filled sofas and chairs made before 2023, which most sites now require to be separated out) and materials councils commonly charge for even at a "free" site (rubble, plasterboard, asbestos, tyres, paint).
- **AI agents and apps**: a clean, structured JSON answer to "nearest tip that takes X near postcode Y", no HTML to parse.

### How to use UK Waste & Tip Finder

1. Click **Try for free** or **Run**.
2. Enter a UK postcode (full, e.g. "SW1A 1AA", or partial, e.g. "SW1A").
3. Optionally tick the materials you need to check, and pick **Resident** or **Trade/commercial** so you get the right disclaimer.
4. Run the Actor. Results land in the dataset, sorted nearest first.

### Input

| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| `postcode` | A UK postcode, full or partial. Required. |
| `materials` | Which materials to check acceptance for. Leave empty to just get the nearest sites with no material check. |
| `audience` | `resident` or `trade_commercial`. Trade/commercial adds a warning that household tips generally aren't for trade waste. |
| `radiusKm` | Search radius in km. Default 15. |
| `maxResults` | Maximum sites returned, nearest first. Default 10. |

### Output

```json
{
  "name": "Barby Road Household Waste Recycling Centre",
  "distanceKm": 1.8,
  "address": "Barby Road, Rugby, CV22 5DH",
  "operator": "Warwickshire County Council",
  "openingHours": "Mo-Su 09:00-17:00",
  "accessNote": null,
  "materialsChecked": {
    "scrap_metal": { "title": "Scrap metal", "accepted": true, "confidence": "confirmed", "oftenChargedByCouncils": false },
    "rubble_hardcore": { "title": "Rubble / hardcore", "accepted": null, "confidence": "unconfirmed_call_ahead", "oftenChargedByCouncils": true },
    "pops_furniture": { "title": "Upholstered furniture with POPs (foam-filled, pre-2023 sofas/chairs)", "accepted": null, "confidence": "unconfirmed_call_ahead", "oftenChargedByCouncils": false }
  },
  "tradeWasteWarning": null,
  "sourceUrl": "https://www.openstreetmap.org/node/1118877104"
}
```

You can download the dataset in various formats such as JSON, HTML, CSV, or Excel, or pull it via the API.

### Data table

| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
| `name` | Site name |
| `distanceKm` | Distance from the postcode you entered |
| `address` | Street address, where recorded |
| `operator` | Council or company running the site, where recorded |
| `openingHours` | Opening hours, where recorded |
| `materialsChecked` | Per-material breakdown: `accepted` (true/false/null), `confidence` (`confirmed` or `unconfirmed_call_ahead`), `oftenChargedByCouncils` (a general awareness flag, not a quoted price) |
| `tradeWasteWarning` | Set when `audience` is `trade_commercial` |
| `sourceUrl` | The OpenStreetMap record behind this result, so you can check or correct it |

### Why some materials come back "unconfirmed"

Open data tracks common household recyclables well: batteries, paper, glass, plastic, cans, cardboard, textiles, garden waste, scrap metal, oil, light bulbs and tubes. It does **not** reliably track bulky or hazardous items at site level: mattresses, rubble, plasterboard, asbestos, POPs furniture, car batteries. Rather than guess, those always come back flagged `unconfirmed_call_ahead`, most sites gate these behind a permit or booking system anyway, so a call ahead was always going to be needed.

### Pricing / cost estimation

Pay-per-event: you're charged per site returned in the dataset. A typical search returning 8-10 nearby sites costs a few cents. See the Pricing tab for the current rate. No charge for a search that finds nothing, no minimum spend, no subscription.

### Tips

- Results come from a shared free community data source (OpenStreetMap's Overpass API). On a busy day some categories can time out server-side, when that happens the run still completes with whatever it found and logs exactly what it had to skip, rather than failing the whole search. Re-running a few minutes later often fills in the gaps.
- Widen `radiusKm` in rural areas where the nearest tip might be 20-30km away.
- Leave `materials` empty for a fast "what's near me" lookup without the per-material breakdown.
- `sourceUrl` links back to OpenStreetMap. If a detail is wrong or missing (a lot of UK civic amenity sites are thinly tagged), anyone can fix it there and future runs will pick up the correction.

### FAQ, disclaimers, and support

**Does this work for trade waste?** Not directly, and that's on purpose. UK household waste recycling centres are for household waste only, most councils will turn away or fine a liveried van. Set `audience` to `trade_commercial` and every result comes back with a clear warning to that effect instead of a false green light. You'll still need a registered waste carrier and a licensed trade waste facility or permit for genuine trade waste, this Actor tells you that up front rather than after a wasted trip.

This Actor reads open geodata (OpenStreetMap, ODbL licensed) and a free UK postcode geocoder (postcodes.io). It is not affiliated with any council, the Environment Agency, or OpenStreetMap. Opening hours, acceptance, and charges change without notice, always confirm with the site directly before a special trip, especially for hazardous or bulky items. Found a bug or a gap? Use the Issues tab, replies come from a real person.

**Found this useful?** If this saved you a manual council-website hunt, a one-line review takes 20 seconds and helps a lot.

# Actor input Schema

## `audience` (type: `string`):

Residents get standard household-tip guidance. Trade/commercial (removals, house clearances, man-in-a-van, furniture stores) gets an extra warning: UK household recycling centres are for household waste only, taking a van of commercial waste there can mean a fine, and you generally need a registered waste carrier + a licensed trade waste facility instead.

## `postcode` (type: `string`):

A UK postcode, full or partial (e.g. "SW1A 1AA" or "SW1A").

## `materials` (type: `array`):

Pick what you need to get rid of. Common household recyclables (batteries, electricals, garden waste, scrap metal, textiles, oil) are usually confirmed from open data. Bulky and hazardous items (mattress, rubble, plasterboard, asbestos, POPs furniture) are rarely recorded in open data at site level, so those come back flagged 'unconfirmed, call ahead' rather than a guess, most sites now require these to be separated out or booked in specially anyway.

## `radiusKm` (type: `integer`):

How far from the postcode to search.

## `maxResults` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of sites to return, nearest first.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "audience": "resident",
  "postcode": "SW1A 1AA",
  "materials": [],
  "radiusKm": 15,
  "maxResults": 10
}
```

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "postcode": "SW1A 1AA"
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("nerolabs/uk-waste-tip-finder").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = { "postcode": "SW1A 1AA" }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("nerolabs/uk-waste-tip-finder").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "postcode": "SW1A 1AA"
}' |
apify call nerolabs/uk-waste-tip-finder --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,nerolabs/uk-waste-tip-finder"
        }
    }
}

```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/V3Q03OWTv2jDjpdgz/builds/Aw8u3mlFbXoNZ5xXb/openapi.json