Gatewarth opens 8am to 6pm every day, Woolston and Stockton Heath 10am to 4pm on weekdays. No booking needed, permits only for vans and rubble at Gatewarth.
Warrington tip opening times are simple once you know which of the three sites you are going to. Warrington Borough Council calls them community recycling centres, and none of them needs a booking. Gatewarth is the big one and the only one open at 8am on a weekday. Woolston and Stockton Heath open at 10am and shut at 4pm on weekdays all year, so a trip after work is Gatewarth or nothing.
The quick answer
- Gatewarth, Barnard Street, WA5 1DD: 8am to 6pm, every day, all year.
- Woolston, New Cut Lane, WA1 4AG: 10am to 4pm weekdays, 8am to 6pm weekends and bank holidays.
- Stockton Heath, Sandy Lane, WA4 2AY: 10am to 4pm weekdays; weekends 10am to 6pm from April to September and 10am to 4pm from October to March.
- All three are closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day only.
- No booking. Permits are free and are needed only at Gatewarth, for repeat van or trailer visits or for building waste such as rubble and plasterboard.
Everything here is from the council’s own pages for Gatewarth, Woolston and Stockton Heath, each last updated on 10 August 2026, and from its permit page. Checked 25 September 2026.
Opening hours
| Centre | Weekdays | Weekends and bank holidays | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gatewarth | 8am to 6pm | 8am to 6pm | 25 and 26 December, 1 January |
| Woolston | 10am to 4pm | 8am to 6pm | 25 and 26 December, 1 January |
| Stockton Heath | 10am to 4pm | 10am to 6pm April to September; 10am to 4pm October to March | 25 and 26 December, 1 January |
The hours do not change for the other bank holidays: Woolston’s weekend hours apply on a bank holiday Monday, Gatewarth’s never change. Stockton Heath’s winter hours start on 1 October, so from then until the end of March it is 10am to 4pm seven days a week.
The council warns that any site “sometimes” closes for a short time when lorries are on site swapping containers. Its site rules are the usual ones: follow the one-way system, no more than 5mph, no access on foot, dogs stay in the vehicle, and staff instructions are to be followed.
Christmas 2026
Christmas Day is a Friday this year and the Boxing Day bank holiday moves to Monday 28 December. The centres close on Friday 25 and Saturday 26 December and reopen on Sunday 27 December. Monday 28 December is a bank holiday, so Woolston runs 8am to 6pm that day rather than its weekday 10am to 4pm. All three close again on Friday 1 January 2027 and reopen on Saturday 2 January. Christmas week bin days move a day earlier; the dates are on our Warrington Christmas bin collections page.
What each site takes, and where they differ
The three sites take the same everyday things: cardboard, paper, glass, cans, plastic bottles and rigid plastic, textiles, shoes, books, batteries, small electricals, TVs and monitors, computers, mattresses, sofas, wood, garden waste, paint, cooking oil, fluorescent tubes, bicycles and bric-a-brac. The differences are in the heavy and awkward loads.
| Item | Gatewarth | Woolston | Stockton Heath |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fridges and freezers | Yes | No | No |
| Hardcore and rubble | Yes, permit needed | Yes, permit needed | No |
| Plasterboard | Yes, permit needed | Yes, permit needed | No |
| Mineral oil | Yes | Yes | No |
| Carpet | Yes | Yes | Not listed |
| Washing machines, dryers, dishwashers | Yes | Yes | Listed as "other white goods" |
Gatewarth is the only site that takes a fridge or freezer. Its page lists “fridges and freezers” among accepted items with no restriction, so an earlier notice about a contractor problem has gone.
No site takes car tyres, wheels or other vehicle parts, fire extinguishers, gas bottles of any kind, hazardous or inflammable liquids and chemicals, or pallets. None takes trade waste, and the council’s definition of trade is wide: it includes home businesses, landlords clearing a rented property, charities and schools.
Permits: free, Gatewarth only, three a year
The council issues permits for Gatewarth only. “We don’t issue any permits for Woolston or Stockton Heath recycling centres,” its permit page says. You need one in two situations:
- Repeat visits in a van, commercial-type vehicle or with a trailer. One trip in a van with a small amount of household waste is allowed without a permit; bring a driving licence or utility bill to prove a Warrington address and expect to sign a form confirming it is household waste.
- Building and DIY waste, which the council does not count as household waste: rubble, bricks, paving and tiles, fencing, sheds, decking, concrete posts and panels, plaster and plasterboard, cement, asbestos, kitchen units, bathroom suites, doors and window frames, fireplaces, radiators and boilers, gutters, downpipes and fascias, and loft insulation.
Permits are free. Call Environmental Waste Controls on 0333 305 2280, 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday, at least 48 hours before the visit. You will be asked how many visits you plan (the limit is three in any 12 months), the date, the items and quantity, and the vehicle’s make, model and registration. Only the items on the permit can be tipped, and you need the permit number and proof of address on the day.
Vehicles over 3.5 tonnes and trailers longer than 3 metres or wider than 1.5 metres cannot use any of the sites. Stockton Heath is tighter still: cars pulling small trailers are fine, but there is no room for vans or larger trailers, and the council points those to Gatewarth or Woolston.
Getting there
- Gatewarth is off Barnard Street in Sankey Bridges, WA5 1DD, on the west side of town near the Liverpool Road industrial area.
- Woolston is on New Cut Lane, WA1 4AG, east of the town centre off Manchester Road.
- Stockton Heath is on Sandy Lane, WA4 2AY, south of the Manchester Ship Canal.
For anything too big or heavy for the car, the council runs a paid bulky collection instead, from £35.26; that and the garden waste subscription are covered on our Warrington bin collection days page. Roadworks around Sankey Bridges and the A57 can add to a Gatewarth trip; our Warrington roadworks and travel page carries the current closures.
What could change
The council’s three site pages were all updated on 10 August 2026 and carry no notice of any booking system, unlike several neighbouring councils. Stockton Heath’s summer weekend hours return on 1 April 2027. We will check all three pages and the permit page again in the second week of December, before the Christmas closures, and again at the end of March.
Sources: Warrington Borough Council pages for Gatewarth, Woolston and Stockton Heath community recycling centres and the recycling centre permit page. Checked 25 September 2026.
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