Pyke Quarry at Horsley opens 9am to 5pm until 24 October, then 10am to 4pm. Open Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, shut 25, 26 Dec and 1 Jan. Booking required.

The Stroud district’s tip is Pyke Quarry Household Recycling Centre, two miles west of Horsley on the B4058 Wotton-under-Edge Road. Every visit has to be booked in advance. It is open seven days a week for now, because Gloucester’s Hempsted centre is shut for refurbishment, and it switches to shorter winter hours on Sunday 25 October.

The quick answer

  • Until Saturday 24 October: 9am to 5pm. From Sunday 25 October to Saturday 27 March 2027: 10am to 4pm.
  • Christmas: open Thursday 24 December and Thursday 31 December; closed Friday 25 December, Saturday 26 December and Friday 1 January.
  • Book first. No booking, no entry, and no Gloucestershire tip is taking fridges or freezers at the moment.

Opening hours

Period Hours Days
Now to Saturday 24 October 2026 9am to 5pm Every day while Hempsted is closed
Sunday 25 October 2026 to Saturday 27 March 2027 10am to 4pm Every day while Hempsted is closed, then closed Wednesdays

Pyke Quarry normally closes on a Wednesday. Gloucestershire County Council says it is opening seven days while Hempsted is shut, and that Hempsted “is expected to reopen mid-November at which time Pyke Quarry will revert to opening 6-days a week”. From then on, do not plan a Wednesday trip. (Gloucestershire Recycles, Pyke Quarry HRC)

The county moves every site to winter hours because they “receive almost 30% less waste and recycling” in winter, and says the change saves money. (Gloucestershire Recycles, closure days and seasonal opening hours)

Christmas and New Year 2026

The county has already published its list for the festive fortnight.

Date Pyke Quarry
Thursday 24 December (Christmas Eve) Open
Friday 25 December (Christmas Day) Closed, as are all sites
Saturday 26 December (Boxing Day) Closed, as are all sites
Thursday 31 December (New Year’s Eve) Open
Friday 1 January (New Year’s Day) Closed, as are all sites

Source: Gloucestershire Recycles, closure days and seasonal opening hours

The list does not single out Monday 28 December, the substitute Boxing Day bank holiday. The county’s general rule is that its closure rota “means HRCs will still be open on Bank Holiday Mondays”, so treat it as a normal winter day, 10am to 4pm, and book as usual. It has not published separate Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve hours.

Booking a visit

  • Every visit must be pre-booked, for cars and vans alike.
  • Arrive inside your 30-minute slot.
  • Car bookings are for passenger cars. You can tow a small trailer if it is less than 6ft by 4ft inside. Vans and larger trailers need a van booking.
  • Household waste only. “Only a resident’s own household waste can be accepted.”

Book or change a slot through Gloucestershire Recycles, car and van bookings.

Getting there: ignore the postcode

The county’s own warning: “The postcode for this site is inaccurate and may send you a mile in the wrong direction.” Search sat nav or a map app for Horsley Recycling Centre instead. (Gloucestershire Recycles, Pyke Quarry HRC)

No fridges or freezers, for now

“Gloucestershire’s Household Recycling Centres are temporarily unable to accept any fridges and freezers.” That started on Saturday 8 August and runs “until further notice”. It is a national disposal problem, not a Pyke Quarry one; the background is in our August report. (Gloucestershire Recycles)

If Pyke Quarry is shut

The county staggers closure days so another site is open.

Site Closed on
Pyke Quarry, Horsley Wednesday (once Hempsted reopens)
Fosse Cross, Cirencester Tuesday
Oak Quarry, Coleford Tuesday
Hempsted, Gloucester Closed for refurbishment until mid-November
Wingmoor Farm, Bishop’s Cleeve Open seven days

Still to confirm

  • Hempsted’s reopening date. The county says mid-November. When it reopens, Pyke Quarry goes back to closing on Wednesdays, and we will update this page.
  • Fridges and freezers. No end date yet.

For kerbside collections over the holiday, see Stroud Christmas bin collections and the year-round bin collection days page.

Sources