Bidston, Clatterbridge and West Kirby tips close at 5pm from 1 October, not 8pm. All three shut on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day. Vans must book.
Wirral’s three tips, at Bidston, Clatterbridge and West Kirby, switch to winter hours on Thursday 1 October 2026. From then until 31 March they open 8am to 5pm, three hours shorter than the summer’s 8pm close. All three are open every day of the year except Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.
The quick answer
- Winter hours, 1 October to 31 March: 8am to 5pm at all three Wirral tips.
- Closed on 25 December, 26 December and 1 January. Open every other day, weekends included.
- Cars do not need to book. Vans and large trailers do, and are limited to 12 visits a year.
The tips are run by Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority (MRWA), not by Wirral Council. Everything here is from MRWA’s recycling centres page, checked on 25 September 2026.
The three Wirral tips
| Tip | Address | 1 Oct to 31 Mar | 1 Apr to 30 Sep | Only here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bidston | Wallasey Bridge Road, CH41 1EB | 8am to 5pm | 8am to 8pm | Paint; asbestos by appointment |
| Clatterbridge | Mount Road, Bebington, CH63 4JZ | 8am to 5pm | 8am to 8pm | |
| West Kirby | Greenbank Road, CH48 5HR | 8am to 5pm | 8am to 8pm |
Any Merseyside householder can use any of the authority’s 14 Merseyside centres, so a Wirral resident can also use Liverpool’s, Sefton’s, Knowsley’s or St Helens’ sites.
Over Christmas and New Year
MRWA says all its centres are open every day except Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. In 2026 that means:
| Date | Tips |
|---|---|
| Thursday 24 December | Open |
| Friday 25 December | Closed |
| Saturday 26 December | Closed |
| Sunday 27 to Thursday 31 December | Open |
| Friday 1 January 2027 | Closed |
| Saturday 2 January onwards | Open |
MRWA does not publish shorter hours for Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve, so the normal 8am to 5pm winter hours apply unless it announces a change.
Kerbside collections change too: brown garden waste bins are not emptied for six weeks over Christmas, and the Friday rounds move. Our Wirral bin collection days page has the dates.
Who needs to book
You do not need to book in an ordinary car, even with a small trailer.
You do need a free appointment if you arrive in:
- a van of any size
- a car towing a trailer between 2 and 3 metres long (external box dimensions)
- an estate, hatchback, 4x4 or car with the rear seats permanently removed, or with blanked-out side or rear windows
- a single-cab pick-up
Van and large trailer users get a maximum of 12 visits a year, and that includes garden waste. Bookings are made online through an MRWA account, and next-day bookings close at 4pm. The booking line is 0151 255 1444. You must live in Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens, Knowsley or Wirral to book. Trade and business waste is not accepted at any centre.
Wirral Council’s own tip page repeats these rules.
What you can take
All three Wirral tips take the usual list: garden waste, cardboard, paper, glass, cans, plastic bottles, wood, rubble, soil, plasterboard, scrap metal, mattresses, carpets, textiles, shoes, books, bric-a-brac, fridges and freezers, TVs and monitors, other electricals, light bulbs and fluorescent tubes, household and car batteries, disposable vapes, engine and cooking oil, tyres and printer cartridges, plus general household waste.
Two things only go to Bidston:
- Paint.
- Cement-bonded asbestos, by appointment only, booked through Veolia on 0203 567 4200.
Upholstered sofas and armchairs go into a separate container at every centre; site staff will direct you to it.
No walking in
None of the three Wirral tips has pedestrian access. You have to arrive in a vehicle, or on a bicycle following the same route as the cars. The Huyton and Kirkby centres across the river do have pedestrian gates.
Also on Wirral Online
- Wirral bin collection days: which rounds move at Christmas.
- Wirral Christmas trains and travel.
- Wirral roadworks and travel and parking in Wirral.
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