Community Recycling Centres

You can now visit all of our community recycling centres.

  • Gatewarth, Barnard Street, Sankey Bridges: Open, 8am-6pm, seven days a week
  • Woolston, New Cut Lane, Woolston: Open, 10am-4pm weekdays, 8am-6pm weekends
  • Stockton Heath, Sandy Lane, Stockton Heath: currently Open, 10am-4pm weekdays, 8am-6pm weekends

CRC checklist

Please only visit our CRCs if you have an essential need to dispose of household waste. There will be strict restrictions and traffic management in place on site, so we’d ask you to only travel to the recycling centre if any of your household waste cannot be safely stored at home.

  • Access is permitted for cars only. No vans, vehicle trailers, commercial vehicles or pedestrians will be allowed in
  • Only one person is permitted per car, unless you are a blue badge holder – in which case you can have another person in your car with you
  • Due to social distancing restrictions, our staff will not be able to help with unloading or lifting items, so only take to the tip what you can safely dispose of yourself
  • We're accepting all types of household waste/recyclables
  • We will be operating a one-in, one-out system to ensure people can dispose of their waste safely, so expect lengthy queues
  • To help prevent people travelling to the CRC from outside Warrington, we will need you to provide evidence of your address, so please take a recent utility bill, council tax bill or proof of address to display in your car windscreen
  • Please observe the social distancing rules when on site, and be considerate and patient with one another
  • If you are abusive, intimidating or clearly flout the national guidance you will be removed  from the CRC
  • There will be comprehensive traffic management in place on site. Lengthy queues are expected and residents may be asked to leave and return later

Even with these measures in place, we anticipate that queuing times will be significantly higher than usual and could possibly be several hours. Please bear this in mind when considering if your visit is essential.

Vans, trailers and large vehicles

Vehicles more than 3.5 tonnes, and trailers bigger than 3 metres in length or 1.5 metres in width, aren't allowed at all.

If you do want to use a van,  or other commercial-type vehicle, or a vehicle pulling a trailer, you will need a recycling centre permit which is available for our Gatewarth Site only.

Permits require 48 hours notice to process and are issued on an appointment basis for an agreed date between specific hours of operation.

How to apply

Ring us on 01925 442527 between 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday. Permits are free.

You’ll need to tell us:

  • Which community recycling centre you want to use
  • How many times you plan to visit – you can only visit up to three times in a 12 month period
  • What date you want to visit
  • What items you need to get rid of, and how much – you’ll only be allowed to tip the items detailed on your permit
  • The make, model and registration number of the vehicle you’ll be using

Make sure you bring your permit number with you, plus proof of your address such as your driving licence or a recent utility bill.

Follow the national guidance

Anyone in self-isolation or with any COVID-19 symptoms must not visit the community recycling centre under any circumstances.

If households have had COVID-19 symptoms, waste should be left for at least 72 hours before disposal and personal waste should be safely double bagged. Please place this in your normal bin collection if you can.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will I have to book a slot to visit the site?

No, we will not be operating a booking system. The Permit Scheme is also temporarily suspended and permits will not be issued

 

Will the site be busy?

We expect the site to be exceptionally busy, so if your journey is not essential and your waste can wait, we’d advise postponing your visit for now.

 

How many cars will be allowed on site?

There will be restrictions on site and only a small number of cars will be allowed on site at any one time.  Please follow staff instructions and we will be operating a one in, one out system when the site gets busy.

 

What are the social distancing restrictions in place?

You will be directed to a designated space and you will be expected to follow the normal 2m social distancing rules. We ask you to follow the guidance of site staff.

 

What can I bring to the site?

Although we will be accepting the full range of household waste and recyclable materials, we would be very grateful if you only come to dispose of bagged up household waste that can’t be safely stored at home. This is to ensure that queues at the site are kept as short as possible and that household waste that cannot be safely stored at home can be taken for disposal.

 

Can I walk onto the site?

We’ll only be accepting cars – no pedestrians.

 

Will anyone be able to help me unload my waste?

No. Don’t bring large or heavy items – staff won’t be able to help you unload your car due social distancing restrictions. Please only take what items you can manage to dispose of yourself.

 

Is the permit scheme operational on site?

The Permit Scheme is temporarily suspended and permits will not be issued.

 

Can I come to site in a van or bring a large trailer?

Vans, large trailers and commercial vehicles will not be allowed on site. We are keeping this decision under review and hope to be able to start to provide access for these types of vehicles through our Permit Scheme in the near future.

 

I have a small trailer (less than two metres), can I bring that to the site?

No - small trailers (those less than two metres) that do not usually need a permit will not be allowed on site.

 

How many people can be in the car?

One person per car to visit the site – If you need someone else to drive the car (for example blue badge holders) or need help with your waste, one person from your household can accompany you. However only one person will be allowed out of the car to dispose of the waste.

 

Can I bring my children with me?

Do not bring children to site unless you really have to. If you do bring children they will not be allowed to leave the car. Please also consider the anticipated exceptionally long queuing times

 

Are there any traffic restrictions at the site or on the surrounding roads?

There will be queues and there may be restrictions on the highways and roads leading up to the site. There will be traffic marshals and we ask people to adhere to any advice they may give.

Bin collections and waste

Bin collections are running as usual, you can check the date of your next collection on our website.

With people staying at home, more household waste is being created. You can help keep the collection services running by collapsing your waste and packaging before placing it in the bins, so please squash boxes, cartons and plastic bottles. This will reduce the need for separate bags of waste.

Ordering a new black or blue bin

We have switched off our online ordering process for the time being so to order a new black or blue bin, can you please email Contact Warrington or call 01925 443322.