Plan your Longley Lane recycling-centre visit before loading the car or van
Longley Lane Household Waste and Recycling Centre is useful for Manchester and south Greater Manchester residents, but the right answer depends on your vehicle, waste type and annual visit count.
Use this page like a quick visit tool: choose your situation, follow the micro-steps, and click the official link beside the exact action you need.
Quick answer: what should you check first?
Longley Lane Recycling Centre is at Longley Lane, Sharston, Manchester, M22 4RQ. Normal car visits do not need a time-slot booking, but vans, hire vans, pick-up trucks and twin-axle trailers need a free permit account before visiting.
Is Longley Lane open now?
This helper uses the current public HWRC pattern: 8am–8pm daily, except Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. It cannot see temporary site notices, queues or container availability.
Do not leave home until these are clear
- Vehicle type: car, van, pick-up or trailer.
- Visit count: 52 car visits or 18 van/twin-axle visits.
- Rubble: maximum five 900mm × 600mm sacks.
- Waste source: your home only, not trade or builder waste.
- Children and pets stay inside the vehicle.
Choose your route before you load anything
Pick the route that matches your visit. This is faster than reading every rule and helps you avoid being stopped at the gate with the wrong vehicle or wrong waste.
- Check today’s official centre page.
- Make sure you are within the 52 visits per year car allowance.
- Sort wood, metal, cardboard, electricals, batteries, garden waste and rubbish before driving.
- Do not bring business, builder, landlord or charity waste.
- Apply at least 2 working days before visiting.
- Check your vehicle is permitted for the site.
- Keep within the 18 visits per permit year.
- Use the permit only for household waste from your own home.
- Confirm the work was done by you at your own home.
- Use robust sacks.
- Load no more than five 900mm × 600mm sacks per visit.
- Use a skip or licensed route for bigger renovation loads.
- Keep plasterboard separate from rubble and general waste.
- Keep timber separate from soil, tiles and plasterboard.
- Do not bring waste removed by a tradesperson.
- Use the official A–Z if you are unsure.
- Only cement-bonded household asbestos is accepted through listed transfer facilities.
- Double wrap and seal the material.
- Wear the required PPE.
- Take proof of address for the property where the waste came from.
- Keep the item clean, visible and complete.
- Tell staff it may be reusable.
- Check labels: upholstered furniture needs a fire-safety tag.
- Do not bury reusable items under rubble or wet waste.
Opening times and holiday checks
The public household recycling centre is listed as open 8am–8pm every day. Specialist routes at the wider Longley Lane site, such as asbestos transfer, can use different hours.
| Day | Public HWRC hours | Practical visitor action |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | 8am–8pm | Good for a sorted household load. |
| Tuesday | 8am–8pm | Check permit status if using a van. |
| Wednesday | 8am–8pm | Keep specialist items separated. |
| Thursday | 8am–8pm | Avoid mixing rubble with plasterboard. |
| Friday | 8am–8pm | Allow enough unloading time before closing. |
| Saturday | 8am–8pm | Weekends can be busier; go earlier if possible. |
| Sunday | 8am–8pm | Public HWRC open; asbestos transfer route is closed. |
Van permit steps without confusion
Permit and booking are different. You do not reserve a time slot, but if your vehicle needs a permit, it must be approved before your visit.
Check if your vehicle needs a permit
You need one for vans, car-derived vans, campervans, pick-up trucks, hire vans and vehicles towing a twin-axle trailer. A normal car or 4×4 that is not a pick-up truck does not need a van permit.
Prepare documents before applying
Have vehicle details ready. You may need a V5C/logbook, hire agreement, lease agreement, employer letter or proof of address depending on the vehicle.
Apply 2 working days before your first visit
Do not apply in the car park and expect same-day approval. Processing excludes weekends and bank holidays.
Use it only for your own household waste
The permit is not a trade-waste pass. Waste from paid work, a landlord job, a business, a gardener or a builder needs a commercial route.
Vehicle and visit-count rules
The annual allowance depends on the vehicle. ANPR and CCTV are used to help monitor visits.
| Vehicle | Permit? | Visit allowance | Before you go |
|---|---|---|---|
| Car, SUV or people carrier | No van permit. | 52 visits per year. | Use for household waste only. |
| Car with single-axle trailer | No van permit. | Counts within car route. | Trailer must be designed to carry goods. |
| Van, estate van, city van or chassis van | Yes. | 18 visits per permit year. | Apply at least 2 working days before first visit. |
| Hire van | Yes. | Uses permit allocation. | Have hire evidence ready. |
| Pick-up truck | Yes. | 18 visits per permit year. | Longley Lane is listed among the larger suitable sites. |
| Twin-axle trailer | Yes. | 18 visits, and may also reduce car allowance. | Do not use an adapted caravan/trailer tent/sub-frame trailer. |
Longley Lane visit checker
Choose your vehicle, waste type and readiness. The result tells you whether to go, apply first, split the load or use another route.
Rubble and D.I.Y. waste: five sacks means five sacks
This is one of the most important rules for Longley Lane visitors. Rubble and hardcore are accepted only in limited D.I.Y. amounts from work you carried out yourself at home.
Maximum per visit
The limit is five 900mm × 600mm rubble sacks per visit. This includes bricks, ceramics, clay, concrete, paving slabs, rubble, sand, stones, tiles and soil.
Your own home only
The household route is for D.I.Y. work you did yourself at home. Waste made by a hired builder, gardener or tradesperson is business waste.
Van permit still applies
If you use a van, hire van, pick-up truck or twin-axle trailer to bring rubble, you still need the correct permit.
Do not use home bins
Do not put rubble or soil in household bins. Soil can also damage the quality of garden-waste composting.
Can you take this to Longley Lane?
Use this table for common searches. If the item is unusual, use the official recycling A–Z before loading it.
| Item or material | Simple answer | Action before travelling |
|---|---|---|
| Paper, cardboard, glass, cans and mixed recycling | Accepted in the right containers. | Keep it clean and separated before arrival. |
| Electricals, vapes and batteries | Accepted through dedicated streams. | Never hide batteries or vapes inside black bags. |
| Garden waste and timber | Accepted when sorted. | Keep soil and rubble separate from green waste. |
| Rubble, soil, bricks, tiles and concrete | Accepted within five-sack D.I.Y. limit. | Use robust 900mm × 600mm sacks. |
| Plasterboard | Accepted at selected sites including Longley Lane. | Keep it separate from rubble and general waste. |
| Reusable furniture, tools or working electricals | Offer suitable items for Renew. | Keep clean, complete and visible; upholstered furniture needs a fire label. |
| Asbestos | Not for normal public containers. | Use the separate asbestos transfer-facility instructions. |
| Trade, builder, landlord or gardener waste | Not accepted through the public HWRC route. | Use a commercial waste route or skip. |
Asbestos: separate entrance, separate rules, separate hours
Asbestos is not handled like normal D.I.Y. waste. The official guidance says only cement-bonded asbestos can be taken to listed waste transfer facilities, and no other asbestos type is accepted.
Check it is the accepted type
If you are unsure whether the material contains asbestos, do not break, cut, drill or transport it casually. Use HSE advice or a specialist contractor.
Double wrap and seal it
Cement-bonded asbestos must be double wrapped in heavy-duty plastic or sealed rubble sacks.
Wear the required PPE
The official guidance lists hard hat, safety glasses, high-visibility jacket or vest, safety gloves and steel-capped safety boots or shoes.
Bring proof of address
Take a recent council tax bill, annual water bill or utility bill for the property where the waste came from. Mobile phone bills are not accepted.
Renew donations: do not throw away usable items first
Renew takes suitable donated items from Greater Manchester recycling centres, repairs or prepares them, then resells them to support community causes. Tell staff before unloading if something may be reusable.
Good donation candidates
Furniture, working electricals, toys, bric-a-brac, collectables, bikes, sports equipment, gardening items, D.I.Y. items and white goods may be suitable.
Labels and marks matter
Upholstered furniture needs a fire-safety tag, glass items need a kite mark, and children’s toys need a CE or UKCA mark.
Items Renew cannot take
Examples include petrol-powered items, clothes, shoes, other textiles, toys containing chemical substances, mattresses, NHS equipment, crash helmets, car seats, cots, highchairs and prams.
Load reusable items last
Put reusable items near the boot opening. Do not crush them under rubble, soil sacks or wet garden waste.
Common reasons people waste a Longley Lane trip
Read this before you drive. These are the problems most likely to delay or stop the visit.
Do this
- Apply for a van permit at least 2 working days before using a van, pick-up or twin-axle trailer.
- Keep rubble to five 900mm × 600mm sacks.
- Separate plasterboard, rubble, batteries, electricals and Renew items.
- Wear sensible footwear and gloves.
- Check the official page before travelling.
Do not do this
- Do not arrive with a van before permit approval.
- Do not use the public HWRC for trade, builder, landlord or gardener waste.
- Do not bring more than five rubble sacks.
- Do not use normal public containers for asbestos.
- Do not let children or pets leave the vehicle.
Safety and access rules people miss
Longley Lane is a busy operational site. The more you sort at home, the easier it is for staff to direct you and for other drivers to keep moving.
Wear proper footwear
Sites involve heavy, sharp and awkward items. Wear enclosed footwear and gloves. Do not arrive in flip-flops.
Children and pets stay in the vehicle
The official site rules say children and pets should remain in vehicles at all times.
No normal pedestrian access
There is no pedestrian access inside household waste recycling centres. Residents without a vehicle can take a small amount to the entrance and hand it to SUEZ staff.
ANPR and CCTV
Number plate recognition and CCTV help monitor visits and misuse. Keep within your vehicle allowance and permit rules.
Address, postcode and directions
Use the full centre name and postcode in maps to avoid confusing it with other Longley Lane results.
Address
Longley Lane Recycling Centre
Longley Lane
Sharston
Manchester
M22 4RQ
Before pressing Start
Check official status, vehicle route, permit approval, visit count, rubble quantity and whether the waste is household or trade.
When Longley Lane is not the right route
Do not force the trip if the load does not match the public household recycling rules.
| Situation | Better route | Useful link |
|---|---|---|
| You live in Wigan | Use Wigan Council recycling centres, not the participating Greater Manchester R4GM route. | Check Wigan centres |
| Business, landlord or builder waste | Use business/trade waste disposal. | Open business waste route |
| Large rubble or renovation load | Use a skip or licensed waste contractor. | Check rubble limit |
| Usable furniture or working electricals | Try Renew donation before disposal. | Check Renew |
Official links for final action
Use this guide for plain-English planning. Use the official links below before travelling, applying or disposing.
Opening times, address, access rules, visit limits, rubble note, Renew and official site updates.
Check who needs a permit, documents, processing time, hire vans and the 18-visit allowance.
Use this after reading the permit rules and preparing your vehicle details.
Search a specific item before loading your vehicle.
Cement-bonded asbestos, wrapping, PPE, proof of address and transfer-facility hours.
Reusable items, furniture labels, toy marks and items Renew cannot take.
Longley Lane recycling centre FAQs
What are Longley Lane recycling centre opening times?
Where is Longley Lane Household Waste and Recycling Centre?
Do I need to book Longley Lane recycling centre?
Do vans and trailers need a permit at Longley Lane?
How many times can I visit Longley Lane?
How much rubble can I take to Longley Lane?
Can I take builder waste to Longley Lane?
Can I take asbestos to Longley Lane?
Can I walk into Longley Lane recycling centre?
What can I donate to Renew at Longley Lane?
Information checked and update note
Information checked on 4 July 2026 against Recycle for Greater Manchester’s official Longley Lane page, van permit guidance, D.I.Y./rubble guidance, asbestos guidance and Renew information. Opening times, permit rules, annual visit limits, container availability and specialist-waste arrangements can change. Use the official links above before travelling.