Gainsborough recycling centre is the Lincolnshire County Council household waste recycling centre (HWRC) for the town and the surrounding West Lindsey villages. It is free to use for Lincolnshire households, but there are permit rules for vans and trailers and tight limits on DIY waste. This guide covers the address, opening times, what it takes and the nearest alternatives. Opening times checked October 2026 against the council’s Gainsborough recycling centre page.
Where is Gainsborough recycling centre?
It is on Long Wood Road, Corringham Road Industrial Estate, Gainsborough, DN21 1QB.
What are the opening times?
The site opens 8am to 4pm, five days a week, and is closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
| Day | Hours |
|---|---|
| Monday | 8am–4pm |
| Tuesday | 8am–4pm |
| Wednesday | Closed |
| Thursday | Closed |
| Friday | 8am–4pm |
| Saturday | 8am–4pm |
| Sunday | 8am–4pm |
The council asks you to arrive before 3.50pm, because the gates may close ten minutes before closing time so the site can clear. It is closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day, and keeps normal hours on other bank holidays. The council’s listing does not show separate summer and winter hours — check the council page before you go in case that changes.
Do I need to book or get a permit?
In an ordinary car, no booking is mentioned. A free e-permit is needed for vans, 4x4s classed as light goods vehicles, and large trailers.
Lincolnshire’s van and trailer e-permit policy sets the limits:
- Vans: under 2 metres tall, up to 5.8 metres long and 3.5 tonnes laden, with no trailer.
- Pickups: 4x4 pickups with an open back or separate cab and one row of seats, within the same limits.
- Small trailers (no permit, towed by a car under 2 metres): up to 1.8m long, 1.2m wide and 0.5m high.
- Large trailers (permit needed): up to 3.6m long, 1.8m wide and 0.5m high, with no greedy boards or caged sides.
- Hire vans: allowed if the hire is for three days or less and you hold an e-permit.
E-permits are granted only to Lincolnshire households and expire if not used within the 12-month period. You apply for a permit online. Permits from the old booking system are still valid; if you get an email asking you to renew, apply for a new one.
Who can use the Gainsborough tip?
Lincolnshire residents only, for waste from their own homes. The council’s provision and usage policy says it has a legal duty to provide recycling centres for Lincolnshire residents only.
Commercial waste is not accepted at any site. That includes waste from a business run from home, such as a bed and breakfast, and — important for landlords — waste from rented-out properties disposed of by or for a landlord. If staff think a load is commercial they can ask you to complete a declaration of household waste form, and may refuse it.
What does Gainsborough recycling centre accept?
Most household waste can go in, sorted into the right containers. The site listing includes:
- Mattresses, fridges and freezers, washing machines and dryers, TVs and monitors, and small appliances
- Garden waste, wood and timber, and scrap metal
- Cardboard, paper, books, glass bottles and jars, cans, tins and aerosols, textiles and clothes
- Batteries (not vehicle batteries), fluorescent tubes and light bulbs, mobile phones and printer cartridges
- Paint tins and gas bottles
- Cooking oil, used engine oil, and household and garden chemicals — up to five litres of each per vehicle per visit
- Excess general household waste
What is restricted or refused?
DIY waste is where most people get caught out. The site listing allows one small dustbin full of hardcore, rubble, soil and plasterboard per vehicle per day in total. The council’s policy on DIY waste classes building and renovation waste as non-household waste, even when you did the work yourself. It accepts small home DIY amounts: one 100-litre bin (or two 50-litre bags), single items no larger than 2000mm × 750mm × 700mm, and no more than four such visits per household in four weeks. Larger amounts have to go elsewhere, at your own cost.
Also refused:
- Vehicle tyres — not accepted at all. Single bicycle tyres are fine (tyre policy).
- Ammonia fridges and commercial fridges.
- Lithium traction batteries, such as golf cart batteries — return them to the supplier.
Asbestos: cement-bonded white asbestos is taken through a booked scheme — up to 40kg a year, in two council-supplied bags, booked online (asbestos policy). The policy does not say which sites take it, so check with the council (01522 782070) before you go.
What are the nearest alternatives?
If Gainsborough is closed, Lincolnshire’s nearest other sites keep the same pattern — 8am to 4pm, closed Wednesdays and Thursdays — so a midweek trip will not help:
- Lincoln recycling centre, Great Northern Terrace, Lincoln, LN5 8LG
- Market Rasen recycling centre, Gallamore Lane Industrial Estate, Market Rasen, LN8 3HA
Sites over the border in Nottinghamshire or South Yorkshire are run by other councils with their own residency rules, so check before you drive there.
When is it easier to book a clearance instead?
The tip makes sense for a car load or two. A clearance is usually simpler when:
- You need a van. That means applying for an e-permit first, and hire vans are only allowed for three days or less.
- It is a whole property. Several loads, five-day opening and a 3.50pm cut-off add up to a lot of trips.
- It is a rental. Landlord waste is commercial and cannot go to the tip at all.
- Items are bulky. Sofas, wardrobes and mattresses still have to come out of the house first.
CL Clearances collects from inside the property, gives a fixed written quote and provides a Waste Transfer Note. Usable items are donated or recycled where possible. Single items start from £50 for a sofa and £40 for a mattress through our furniture removal service. For mixed loads see rubbish removal, and for a full property, house clearance in Gainsborough.
How do I get a price?
Send photos by WhatsApp to 07783 430775 or email hello@cl-clearances.co.uk, and Charlotte will reply with a fixed written quote. CL Clearances is based in Howden, has been clearing properties since 2016 and holds upper-tier waste carrier licence CBDU291452.
