If you are asking "what can I take to the tip" in York, the short answer is: most household things, some DIY waste with limits, and no business waste unless you have registered with the council.
- York has two tips: Hazel Court (YO10 3DS, booking required) and Towthorpe / Strensall (YO32 9ST, no booking). Both are closed every Wednesday.
- Vans, pickups and trailers need a free council permit at both sites. Allow 10 working days for it to arrive.
- Bricks, rubble, plasterboard, asbestos and gas bottles go to Hazel Court only. Towthorpe does not take them.
- Neither site takes tyres, petrol, diesel, sharps or commercial fridges.
- No car, no slot or too much to carry: we collect in York from £40 per item. Send a photo for a fixed price.
01Quick answer
- Mattress: yes, free at both York tips. Book a slot for Hazel Court first.
- Fridge or freezer: yes, household ones are free at both sites. Commercial fridges are refused.
- Sofa: yes, as general household waste at both sites, if you can get it into a car or permitted van.
- Soil: yes, soil and turf are listed at both sites. Rubble and bricks are Hazel Court only, with a limit.
- Paint: yes, household paint is accepted at both sites. Paint from a business is not.
- Garden waste: yes, free at both sites, no subscription needed.
02York's two tips at a glance
City of York Council runs two household waste recycling centres. They do not accept the same things, so it is worth knowing which one to drive to before you load the car.
| Site | Postcode | Booking | Van permit | Wednesday |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hazel Court Eco Depot, Hazel Court, York |
YO10 3DS | Required for every vehicle visit, up to 14 days ahead | Yes, free, apply in advance | Closed |
| Towthorpe / Strensall Moor Lane, Strensall, York |
YO32 9ST | Not required, York residents only | Yes, free, apply in advance | Closed |
Both sites have a 1.9 metre height barrier and refuse entry in the last 15 minutes before closing. Hours change by season, so check the Hazel Court page or the Towthorpe page before you set off.
Our Hazel Court tip guide covers the booking system step by step, and the Towthorpe and Strensall guide covers the northern site, its opening times and the Wednesday closure.
03Do you need a tip van permit in York?
If you arrive in a car, no. If you arrive in anything bigger, yes. The council's household waste permits page lists the vehicles that need one:
- Pickups and 4x4s with a pickup bed
- Transit vans and small vans
- Box vans and Luton vans
- Minibuses and campervans
- All trailers, up to a maximum of 3 metres by 1.8 metres
The permits are free and come as a booklet. You apply online through york.gov.uk and the council says to allow 10 working days for approval and postal delivery. Nobody issues them at the gate.
Two things catch people out. First, the permit is for household waste only; it does not make business waste acceptable. Second, hire vans are allowed, but you need the hire documents and proof of your York address with you.
If you do not own a van and do not want to wait 10 working days, that is usually the point where a bulky waste collection in York becomes the easier option, either through the council or through us.
04A to Z: what you can take to the tip in York
This table answers "what can I take to the tip" for both York sites in one place.
It is built from the council's own accepted and not accepted lists for Hazel Court and Towthorpe. Where the council is silent on an item, we say so rather than guess.
Charges at Hazel Court are card only. The DIY limit is two 50 litre bags, or a single item no larger than 200cm by 75cm by 70cm, per visit, with a maximum of four visits in four weeks.
| Item | Hazel Court | Towthorpe | Notes and link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asbestos (bonded) | Yes, charged | No | £10 per sheet under 180cm x 60cm, £20.50 per larger sheet, £10 per bag. Give 5 working days' notice. |
| Bathroom suites | Check with the site | No | Towthorpe lists bathroom suites as refused. Hazel Court does not list them for households; DIY limits likely apply. |
| Batteries | Yes | Yes | Household, car, eBike, eScooter and mobility scooter batteries all listed. |
| Bed frames | Yes | Yes | Goes in wood or scrap metal. See our mattress disposal guide for the mattress itself. |
| Bicycles | Yes | Yes | Listed at Hazel Court; scrap metal at Towthorpe. |
| Bricks and rubble | Yes, within DIY limit | No | £4.50 per bag over the limit. Larger loads: construction waste removal. |
| Cardboard | Yes | Yes | Also collected at the kerb in York. |
| Carpet | Check with the site | Check with the site | Not on the household lists. Usually general waste. See carpet disposal in York. |
| Chemicals (household) | Yes | Yes | Farm and industrial chemicals, pesticides and poisons are refused at both. |
| Clothes and textiles | Yes | Yes | Wearable clothes do better at St Leonard's Hospice shops or British Heart Foundation York. |
| Commercial waste | Registered businesses only, charged | No | Needs a waste carrier licence and council registration. See section 06. |
| Cookers | Yes | Yes | Electrical equipment or scrap metal. |
| Cooking oil (household) | Yes | Yes | Not in the Hazel Court pedestrian area. |
| Electricals | Yes | Yes | Cables and chargers included. Delete your data first. |
| Fire extinguishers | Yes, £12 | No | Charge applies at Hazel Court. |
| Fluorescent tubes and bulbs | Yes | Yes | Separate container on site. |
| Fridges and freezers | Yes (household) | Yes (household) | Commercial fridges refused at both. Cannot lift it? See bulky waste collection in York. |
| Furniture | Yes | Yes | Wood, metal or general waste. Good pieces: try Freecycle York or Emmaus first. |
| Garden waste | Yes | Yes | Free, no subscription. Big jobs: garden waste removal. |
| Gas bottles | Yes, charged | No | £12.60 up to 10kg, £20.50 up to 20kg, £55 over 20kg at Hazel Court. |
| Glass bottles and jars | Yes | Yes | Also kerbside recycling boxes. |
| Hot tubs | Check with the site | Check with the site | Not listed by the council. Dismantled shells may count as hard plastic. Ask before you load it. |
| Kitchen units | Yes, as wood, DIY limits apply | Check with the site | Worktops and carcasses go in wood. Fitted kitchens from a trade job are commercial waste. |
| Laptops and TVs | Yes | Yes | Electrical equipment. Wipe data first. |
| Mattresses | Yes | Yes | Listed as used mattresses at both. See mattress disposal. |
| Metal (scrap) | Yes | Yes | Tools, garden furniture, radiators. |
| Oil (car engine) | Yes | Yes | Listed as car oil at both. |
| Paint (household) | Yes | Yes | Paint from commercial customers refused. |
| Paper | Yes | Yes | Shredded paper included. |
| Petrol, diesel, paraffin | No | No | Refused at both sites. |
| Plasterboard | Yes, within DIY limit | No | £9 per bag over the limit. Must be kept separate from other rubble. |
| Plastic (hard and bottles) | Yes | Yes | Toys and garden furniture count as hard plastics. |
| Printer cartridges | No | No | Take back to a retailer scheme. |
| Sharps and medical boxes | No | No | Ask your GP or pharmacy. |
| Sheds | Yes, as wood | Yes, as wood | Dismantle first. Felt roofing is general waste. See shed removal cost. |
| Sofas | Yes | Yes | General household waste. See sofa disposal in York. |
| Soil and turf | Yes | Yes | Listed at both. Very large loads: check with the site. |
| Tyres | No | No | Refused at both. Try the garage fitting the new ones. |
| UPVC windows and doors | Yes | Yes | Window frames listed at both. |
| Vapes | Yes | Yes | Or return to the shop. |
| Washing machines | Yes | Yes | Electrical equipment. Drain and disconnect first. |
| Wood and timber | Yes | Yes | Wooden railway sleepers are refused at both. |
05The five questions people ask most
Can you take a mattress to the tip?
Yes. Used mattresses are on the accepted list at both York sites and there is no charge.
The practical problem is transport: a double mattress does not fold into a hatchback, so most people end up borrowing a van and then needing a permit.
Our mattress disposal guide compares the tip, the council collection and our same-day price of £40 to £80 per mattress.
Can you take a fridge to the tip?
Yes, as long as it is a household fridge or freezer. Both sites list them as accepted free. Commercial fridges, the kind from a shop or cafe, are refused at both.
Fridges are heavy and awkward on their own. If there is nobody to help you lift it, our bulky waste collection guide compares the council route with a same-day collection.
Can you take a sofa to the tip?
Yes. A sofa goes in as general household waste at either site, with no fire label required because the council is disposing of it rather than reselling it. The label only matters if you want a charity to take it.
A sofa in good condition with its fire label is worth offering to Emmaus York, British Heart Foundation York or a Freecycle York group before it goes to landfill.
If none of those work, our sofa disposal guide covers the rest, including our £70 to £85 collection.
Can you take soil and rubble to the tip?
Soil and turf: yes, at both sites.
Bricks, rubble and plasterboard: Hazel Court only, within the DIY limit of two 50 litre bags or one item per visit, and then £4.50 a bag for rubble and £9 a bag for plasterboard.
That limit is small. A single raised bed or a knocked-through wall produces far more than two bags, which is why rubble is the item we get asked about most. The photos at the top of this page are a typical example.
For anything beyond a couple of bags, our construction waste removal takes rubble, plasterboard and soil by the van load with no weight charge. The council's own waste and charges page has the current DIY rules.
Can you take paint to the tip?
Yes, household paint is listed as accepted at both Hazel Court and Towthorpe, along with household chemicals. Keep tins in their original containers with the lids on.
Paint from a business is refused at both sites and is also on the refused list for registered trade users at Hazel Court. Decorators in York need a licensed hazardous waste route, not the tip.
06What the tip will not take, and what to do instead
Some things are refused outright, and some are refused because of where they came from. Most "what can I take to the tip" searches end on one of these. Here is where each one goes instead.
| Problem | What the council says | Instead |
|---|---|---|
| Business or trade waste | Towthorpe: not accepted. Hazel Court: registered businesses only, with a waste carrier licence, vehicle stickers and charges. | Commercial waste removal with a waste transfer note for your records. |
| Asbestos | Bonded asbestos at Hazel Court only, charged per sheet or bag, 5 working days' notice. | Loose or damaged asbestos needs a licensed specialist. We do not carry it. |
| Large quantities | DIY limit of two bags per visit at Hazel Court, and a maximum of four DIY visits in four weeks. | A van collection or a skip. Our waste removal service takes full van loads with no weight charge. |
| No car or van | No pedestrian access to the main site; bulky items are not allowed in the walk-in area. | Council bulky collection or a man and van. |
| Tyres, petrol, sharps | Refused at both sites. | Tyre fitter, fuel retailer or pharmacy respectively. |
Whoever takes your waste away, check they are on the Environment Agency's public register of waste carriers. Our licence is CBDU585818. The waste transfer note we give you is your proof that the waste went to a licensed site.
07When a collection beats the tip
The tip is free for York residents, and for a car boot of garden waste it is hard to beat.
Once you know what you can take to the tip, the next question is whether you should. It stops being the best option when:
- Hazel Court has no slot for the day you need, and it is a Wednesday or you are too far from Strensall.
- You have no car, or the item will not fit in the one you have.
- The item is heavy: a washing machine, a fridge, or a wardrobe down a flight of stairs.
- It would take several trips, which usually means several bookings and most of a day.
- You are clearing a whole property, where the four-DIY-visits-in-four-weeks rule becomes a real constraint.
Your two collection routes in York are:
| Route | Price | Wait | Who carries it |
|---|---|---|---|
| York Council bulky waste | £33.50 for 1 to 3 items, £55.50 for 4 to 10 | Booked by phone; typically a week or more | You, to the kerb |
| Mukin man and van | £40 to £90 per item, less per item for two or more | Same day often possible in York and villages within about 15 miles | We do, from wherever it is |
For bigger jobs we quote from photos: a garage from £120, a 3-bed semi house clearance typically £700 to £1,200. Our guides on garden clearance cost and probate house clearance explain what moves the price.
Two things people ask about clearances. First, whether house clearance companies pay you for items: sometimes, and we explain when.
Second, whether a cluttered property is too much: it is not, and our hoarder house clearance page sets out how we approach it.
If you want a number before deciding, send a photo on WhatsApp or call Aaron on 07857 386029. The price we give is the price you pay, with no weight charges.
Frequently asked questions
What can I take to the tip in York?
Both York tips take household waste, garden waste, soil, wood, metal, electricals, fridges, mattresses, paint, batteries, oil and textiles. Hazel Court also takes rubble, plasterboard, bonded asbestos and gas bottles, some charged. Neither takes tyres, petrol or sharps.
Can you take a mattress to the tip?
Yes. Both Hazel Court and Towthorpe list used mattresses as accepted household waste at no charge. Book a slot for Hazel Court, and get a van permit if you are not in a car.
Can you take a fridge to the tip?
Yes, household fridges and freezers are accepted free at both York tips. Commercial fridges are refused. If you cannot lift it into a car, council bulky collection costs £33.50 for up to three items, or we collect same day.
Can you take soil to the tip?
Yes. Soil and turf are accepted at both Hazel Court and Towthorpe. Bricks, rubble and plasterboard differ: Hazel Court takes them within the DIY limit of two 50 litre bags per visit, charging above that, and Towthorpe refuses them.
Do I need a permit for a van at the tip?
Yes. York Council requires a free household waste permit for pickups, vans of any size, minibuses, campervans and trailers. Apply online at york.gov.uk and allow 10 working days for the booklet to arrive by post. Cars do not need one.
Can I take business waste to the tip?
Not as household waste. Towthorpe refuses commercial waste. Hazel Court takes trade waste only from businesses that have registered with the council, hold a waste carrier licence and pay its charges. A licensed collection is usually simpler for small businesses.