Household waste recycling centres

Contents

Opening hours, locations and site rules
What you can recycle at our household waste recycling centres
Book a slot: weekends, bank holidays and mobile sites
Changes to services from August 2024
HWRC changes from 1 September 2025

What you can recycle at our household waste recycling centres

Our household waste recycling centres can accept waste from your household in Cheshire East including:

asbestos - at Pyms Lane Crewe or Danes Moss Macclesfield only
batteries - both car and household batteries, including e-cigarette batteries
beds and soft furnishings
bric-a-brac (general reusable items)
cans - steel and aluminium
cardboard
carpet
christmas trees (real) - they can also be disposed of in your garden bin if broken up and without decorations on.
domestic appliances - large and small
fridges and freezers
fluorescent tubes and energy saving bulbs
glass – bottles and jars. Panes/sheets of glass are disposed of in the rubble skip
green garden waste
hazardous waste - limited quantity. Phone the site ahead to discuss.
mattresses - you can recycle your old mattress at our sites in Alsager, Bollington, Crewe, Knutsford, or Macclesfield. Due to insufficient space at our sites in Middlewich and Poynton, we are not able to accept mattresses at these two sites.
oil - engine oil and vegetable / cooking oil
paint
paper
plasterboard – this is for small DIY projects only, and can only be accepted at Danes Moss, Macclesfield and Pyms Lane Crewe. You must remove anything attached to the plasterboard for example tiles and insulation. We recommend that you hire a skip for larger scale projects.
plastic bottles
rubble - this is for small DIY projects only. For larger scale projects we recommend that you hire a skip.
soil - this is for small household gardening projects only, for larger scale projects we recommend that you hire a skip.
scrap metal
televisions and computer monitors
textiles/clothing/shoes (these should be bagged) - duvets, pillows and cushion pads should not be put in the textile banks.
wood

Domestic DIY waste (rubble)

Residents can dispose of small amounts of domestic DIY waste (rubble) for free at our household waste recycling centres. The following criteria applies:

residents can deposit up to two 50l rubble bags (containing domestic DIY waste only); or
one bulky item no larger than 2m x 75cm x 70cm (approximately the size of a bathtub or shower screen)
no more than four visits per month, per household for this type of waste.

Large amounts of commercial or trade waste are not allowed at our household waste recycling centres. However, small amounts can be deposited at our sites.

Hazardous waste

We can accept a limited quantity of hazardous waste at our household waste recycling centres. You should phone the site ahead of time to discuss which items you have and whether they are able to accept them. Examples could include fuel or acids.

Bonded asbestos

We provide special skips for small quantities of bonded asbestos waste at the Pyms Lane (Crewe) and Danes Moss (Macclesfield) Centres.

You should phone the site before you visit to check that they have capacity and report to the attendant when you get there.

You must double-bag or double-wrap and seal in heavy duty polythene all bonded asbestos. The waste management licence requires this.

When handling, transporting and disposing of bonded asbestos waste, we advise you to:

keep the material damp
avoid breaking up large pieces
ideally transport in an enclosed vehicle or covered trailer
wear a face mask and gloves

No more than 6 sheets of asbestos can be accepted per property. We recommend that you hire a specialist skip and consult asbestos removal contractors for larger scale work.

What you cannot recycle at the household waste and recycling centre

We cannot accept:

commercial, business or trade waste - you should take this to appropriately licensed facilities. See business waste collection or contact the Environment Agency.
gas cylinders - they are the property of the gas company and you should return gas cylinders to the supplier
tyres
mixed food and garden waste – see YouTube animation for details
household waste that you have been paid to dispose of
household waste that isn't from where you live

Alternatives to using a household waste recycling centre

To save yourself a trip the household waste recycling centre, you can recycle many items at recycle banks across Cheshire East. These can be found at local supermarkets and on public car parks. Find your nearest recycling bank.

The Recycle your electricals website tells you where you can reuse or recycle anything with a plug, battery or cable. Don’t forget that you can return used batteries to shops and supermarkets.

Items like furniture, toys and books can be donated to charities.

If you’d like us to take your garden waste away, you can subscribe to our annual Garden Waste Recycling Scheme, or you could also try composting at home.

Contact Waste and Recycling

Call our Waste and Recycling Customer Service Team on 0300 123 5011 during office hours, 8.30am to 5pm Monday to Friday, if you're unable to use our form.