The title compound, [Co(C6H9O4)2(C12H12N2)(H2O)2]n, crystallizes in the space group P-1. The Co atom is on a center of symmetry and the 1,2-di-4-pyridylethane (bpe) ligand also sits across a crystallographic inversion center. The Co atom is octahedrally coordinated by two aqua ligands, two carboxylate O atoms and two pyridyl N atoms, and is bridged by the anti-bpe ligands to generate one-dimensional 1infinity{[Co(Hadip)2(H2O)2](bpe)2/2} chains (Hadip is 5-carboxypentanoate), which are further interlinked by O-H...O and C-H...O hydrogen bonds into two-dimensional layers.