Towthorpe and Strensall Household Waste Recycling Centre is York’s second tip, north of the ring road on Moor Lane. You do not need to book it. This page covers the opening hours by season, the height barrier, what the site takes and refuses, how van and trailer permits work, and when a collection makes more sense than the drive.
- Moor Lane, Strensall, York, YO32 9ST. York residents only, free, no booking needed.
- Closed every Wednesday. Opens 8.30am; closes 6pm April to September, 5pm in March and October, 4pm November to February. Last entry 15 minutes before closing.
- 1.9 metre height barrier, no pedestrians, and trailer beds no bigger than 1.82m by 1.2m.
- Household waste only. Rubble, plasterboard, asbestos, gas bottles and anything chargeable must go to Hazel Court.
- No van, no time, or too much for the car? Mukin collects same-day across York.
Turn up, but not on a Wednesday
Unlike Hazel Court, Towthorpe has no appointment system. You drive in during opening hours and queue if it is busy; the council says it is quieter after 4pm. Both York sites shut all day on Wednesdays. Live details are on the City of York Council Towthorpe page.
01Quick reference
| Address | Moor Lane, Strensall, York, YO32 9ST |
| Booking | Not required |
| Who can use it | York residents only, household waste only, free |
| Closed | Every Wednesday, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year’s Day |
| Height barrier | 1.9 metres |
| Vans and trailers | Free permit booklet needed, applied for in advance |
| Compost | 40 litre bags £5, three for £12, card only |
| Council phone | 01904 551551 |
Council signs say Towthorpe and Strensall HWRC; everyone else says Strensall tip or Towthorpe tip. Same place. It serves Strensall, Haxby, Wigginton, Huntington, New Earswick, Skelton and the northern side of York.
02Towthorpe tip opening times
The site opens at 8.30am every day it is open. Closing time moves with the season, and the site is closed every Wednesday, whatever the month.
| Months | Opening hours |
|---|---|
| April to September | 8.30am to 6.00pm |
| March and October | 8.30am to 5.00pm |
| November to February | 8.30am to 4.00pm |
| Every Wednesday | Closed |
Last entry is 15 minutes before closing. The council is explicit that it will refuse entry if you arrive after that, so a winter visit means being through the gate by 3.45pm.
The site opens on bank holidays apart from Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day, and the council warns that those days get very busy. A bank holiday that falls on a Wednesday is still a closed day.
We checked these hours against the council page on 30 September 2026. The council announces unplanned closures on that page and nowhere else, so look at it before a special journey.
03Getting in and what happens on site
Come in from the A64 if you can. Towthorpe Moor Lane is fast, and cars queuing to turn right into the site against oncoming traffic cause problems, so the council asks you to approach from the A64 side.
There is a 1.9 metre height barrier. Most cars, estates and standard vans clear it. High-roof vans, anything with a roof box or roof bars loaded high, and taller campervans do not. If your vehicle is over 1.9 metres you have to book Hazel Court instead.
No pedestrian access. You cannot walk or cycle in with a bag of waste.
Staff will help carry heavy items to the right container, but they are not allowed to unload from inside your vehicle. If a washing machine is wedged in the back of an estate, you get it out yourself.
Sort your waste at home before you set off. The site groups its containers by material, so a boot full of mixed bags means a walk to every one of them.
04What Towthorpe takes, and what must go to Hazel Court
Towthorpe accepts what the council calls non-chargeable household waste. That covers the everyday material a house produces. Most of the refused list is DIY and hazardous material that Hazel Court handles, some of it for a fee.
- General household waste
- Paper, cardboard, glass bottles and jars, cans and tins, plastic bottles, tubs and pots, clean foil
- Hard plastics such as toys and garden furniture
- Textiles, clothes and shoes
- Garden waste, soil and turf
- Wood and scrap metal
- Electricals, cables and chargers (wipe your data first)
- Household fridges and freezers
- Batteries: household, car, e-bike, e-scooter and mobility scooter
- Fluorescent tubes, vapes and e-cigarettes
- Household paint and chemicals, car oil, cooking oil
- Used mattresses
- Coffee pods from Podback member brands
- Bricks, rubble and plasterboard (Hazel Court only)
- Porcelain bathroom suites, which the council classes as rubble (Hazel Court only)
- Asbestos, gas bottles and fire extinguishers (Hazel Court only, charged)
- Business or commercial waste of any kind
- Commercial fridges and freezers
- Cartons such as Tetra Pak
- Tyres and wooden sleepers
- Petrol, diesel, flares, poisons, farm or industrial chemicals
- Sharps boxes and printer cartridges
The rubble and plasterboard rule catches people out most. A bathroom rip-out or a garden wall cannot come to Towthorpe. At Hazel Court it is free within a limit of two 50 litre bags per visit for your own DIY, and charged per bag beyond that; see the Hazel Court guide. For more than a couple of bags, a construction waste collection tends to cost less than the fuel, the booked trip and the per-bag charge added together.
05Vans, pickups, trailers and permits
A standard car needs nothing beyond a York address. Pickups, transit and small vans, box and Luton vans, minibuses, campervans and anything towing a trailer need a permit. The permit is a paper booklet that arrives by post, so plan ahead.
- One booklet per household per year. North Yorkshire Council issues the free permits on behalf of City of York Council. Forms are on the council permits page; queries to waste.york@northyorks.gov.uk or 01609 532491.
- Allow 10 working days. Staff at the gate cannot issue permits, and the council offers no same-day option.
- Towthorpe caps trailer beds at 1.82m by 1.2m. Larger trailers go to Hazel Court, as do high-roof vans, because a permit does not get a 2.2 metre van under a 1.9 metre barrier.
- Blue Badge holders need no permit if the badge is displayed and the vehicle clears the barrier.
- Hire vans: bring the hire paperwork and proof of your York address. No need to contact the council first.
Permits are for household waste only. A van of rubbish from a job you were paid for is trade waste whatever it arrives in.
06Towthorpe or Hazel Court?
York has two household recycling centres. Which one to use comes down to what you are carrying and whether you have booked.
| Question | Towthorpe / Strensall | Hazel Court |
|---|---|---|
| Booking | Not needed | Required, up to two weeks ahead |
| Where | North of the ring road, Strensall | South-east, near the university |
| Height barrier | 1.9 metres | Taller vehicles accepted |
| Rubble, plasterboard, asbestos, gas bottles | Refused | Accepted, some charged |
| Large trailers | Bed up to 1.82m by 1.2m | Larger allowed |
| Non-York residents | Not allowed | General rubbish only, £10 per visit, booked |
| Trade waste | Refused | Paid trade waste route |
| Closed | Wednesdays | Wednesdays |
07Trade waste is not accepted, even in a car
Whether waste counts as trade waste depends on where it came from. The vehicle makes no difference. Offcuts from a paid kitchen fit, packaging from a shop or cuttings from a gardening round are all commercial waste, and a permit does not change that. Businesses have to use a registered carrier and keep a waste transfer note for two years. Mukin’s commercial waste collection includes the note.
08When a tip run is not worth it
Towthorpe is free and it works well for a boot load. It stops making sense when:
- It is Wednesday, or after last entry. The site closes at 4pm through the winter. Mukin collects seven days a week, 7am to 8pm.
- The item will not go in the car. A sofa, mattress, wardrobe or fridge is a van job, and waiting 10 working days for a permit booklet so you can hire a van for one sofa does not add up. See bulky waste collection in York.
- It is more than one trip, or you cannot lift it. Staff help at the container, not out of your car. A garage, loft or whole house is a day of loading and queueing; a house clearance in York is one visit and one fixed price.
- You need it gone today. Mukin can be there the same day, and you skip the permit wait and the queue.
In any of those cases, Mukin’s waste removal service covers it. Call 07857 386029 or WhatsApp a photo for a fixed price. Mukin collects from wherever the items are in the property and includes the waste transfer note.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to book Towthorpe tip?
No. Towthorpe and Strensall HWRC has no appointment system. You turn up during opening hours, with last entry 15 minutes before closing. Hazel Court is the York site that needs a booking, and you can read how that works in the Hazel Court guide.
What time does Towthorpe tip open?
8.30am every day except Wednesday, when it is closed. Closing time changes by season: 6pm from April to September, 5pm in March and October, and 4pm from November to February. Last entry is 15 minutes before closing. Check the council page before travelling.
Can I take a van or trailer to Towthorpe tip?
Only with a free residents’ permit. Permits come as a booklet by post from North Yorkshire Council, one booklet per household per year, and take about 10 working days to arrive. Trailer beds are capped at 1.82m by 1.2m at Towthorpe, and the whole site has a 1.9 metre height barrier.
Can I take rubble or plasterboard to Towthorpe?
No. Towthorpe only takes non-chargeable household waste. Bricks, rubble, plasterboard, porcelain bathroom suites, gas bottles, fire extinguishers and asbestos all have to go to Hazel Court, where DIY waste is free within a limit and the rest is charged. For more than a couple of bags, see construction waste collection.