Burton Farm tip is open daily, no booking, 9.30am to 3.15pm weekdays from 1 October. Christmas closures, Wellesbourne and Stockton weekend booking, fridges.
Burton Farm recycling centre at Bishopton is open every day and you do not need to book. From 1 October it closes at 3.15pm on weekdays and 4.15pm at weekends. It is the only one of the district’s four tips that is open seven days a week. Wellesbourne and Stockton are weekend sites and you now have to book a slot there on Saturdays and Sundays.
Over Christmas, Burton Farm closes at 12.30pm on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, and is shut on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. And after a seven-week ban, fridges and freezers are being accepted again.
The quick answer
- Burton Farm, Stratford: no booking. Winter hours from 1 October: 9.30am to 3.15pm Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 4.15pm weekends.
- Christmas: closes 12.30pm on 24 and 31 December; closed 25 and 26 December and 1 January.
- Wellesbourne and Stockton need a booked slot at weekends, through the county’s Eventbrite page.
Winter opening times, from 1 October
All four centres move to winter hours on 1 October and back to summer hours on 1 April (Warwickshire County Council, recycling centres).
| Centre | Mon | Tue to Fri | Sat and Sun | Book? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burton Farm, Bishopton, Stratford CV37 0RW | 9.30am to 3.15pm | 9.30am to 3.15pm | 8.30am to 4.15pm | No |
| Shipston, Brailes Road CV36 5BE | 9.30am to 3.15pm | 9.30am to 3.15pm | 8.30am to 12.15pm | No |
| Wellesbourne, Loxley Road CV35 9QZ | 9.30am to 3.15pm | Closed | 8.30am to 4.15pm | Weekends |
| Stockton, Rugby Road CV47 8LA | Closed | Closed | 8.30am to 4.15pm | Weekends |
In summer, Burton Farm, Wellesbourne and Stockton stay open to 5.45pm at weekends and Burton Farm stays open to 6.15pm on Wednesdays. Shipston’s hours are the same all year. Those late openings stop on 30 September.
Two things on the county’s pages are out of date and worth ignoring: each centre page still says winter hours run “from 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023”, and the Wellesbourne page still carries an old “this recycling centre is currently closed” notice from the coronavirus closures. The county’s main recycling centres page lists Wellesbourne as open on Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays.
Christmas and New Year opening
Christmas Day is a Friday this year, so the Boxing Day bank holiday falls on Monday 28 December.
| Date | Burton Farm | Shipston | Wellesbourne | Stockton |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 24 Dec | Closes 12.30pm | Closes 12.30pm | Closed (weekday) | Closed (weekday) |
| Fri 25 Dec | Closed | Closed | Closed | Closed |
| Sat 26 Dec | Closed | See below | Open, book ahead | Open, book ahead |
| Mon 28 Dec (bank holiday) | Not stated | Closed | Closed | Closed (weekday) |
| Thu 31 Dec | Closes 12.30pm | Closes 12.30pm | Closed (weekday) | Closed (weekday) |
| Fri 1 Jan | Closed | Closed | Closed | Closed |
The county’s wording differs by site, which is why a few cells are uncertain:
- Burton Farm “will close at 12.30pm on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, and will be closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.” It does not say whether it opens on Monday 28 December, the substitute bank holiday.
- Shipston “is closed on all Bank Holidays and will close at 12.30pm on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.” Boxing Day is a Saturday this year and not itself the bank holiday, so ask before you go on 26 December.
- Wellesbourne and Stockton are “closed on all bank holidays”. Saturday 26 December is not a bank holiday this year, so on the county’s own wording they should open as a normal weekend day, with a booking.
We will check each of these with the county before Christmas and update the table.
Booking at Wellesbourne and Stockton
A hybrid booking system started on 20 July 2026. Burton Farm and Shipston stay booking-free. Wellesbourne and Stockton need a slot on Saturdays and Sundays, booked through Eventbrite from the centre’s page. Slots can be booked up to five minutes before the appointment, but the county recommends booking well ahead around bank holidays (Warwickshire County Council, booking guidance).
Vans, trailers and sofas
- Vans and pick-ups need a voucher, or you will be charged. Business waste is always chargeable.
- Trailers are not accepted at Shipston, Stockton or Wellesbourne. Burton Farm takes them, with restrictions.
- Sofas and armchairs are not accepted at Shipston or Wellesbourne. Take them to Burton Farm or offer them for reuse.
- Shipston has a 1.98m height barrier; report to staff on arrival if your vehicle is taller.
- Burton Farm is reached over a railway bridge with traffic lights. At busy times some recycling containers can be full, and the county suggests visiting mid-week.
Fridges and freezers are back
The county stopped taking fridges and freezers at all its recycling centres on 5 August, after about 1,000 cooling appliances piled up during a national shortage of fridge recycling capacity. It announced on 23 September that they are accepted again. Capacity is still limited, and the county says it may have to pause again if storage fills. It asks anyone who can keep an old fridge safely at home a little longer to do so, and to use a retailer’s take-back service when buying a new one (Warwickshire County Council, 23 September 2026).
The county has also told the district councils they can restart their own fridge collections from homes.
Related
- Christmas bin changes and the January tree collection: Stratford Christmas bin collections.
- Your normal bin week: bin collection days.
- Getting there: roadworks this week.
The next check on this page is early December, when the county confirms its bank holiday arrangements.
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