Horsham tip at Hop Oast shuts at 4pm from 1 October and is closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Billingshurst's days, booking rules and Christmas closures.

Horsham’s tip, the Hop Oast recycling centre on Worthing Road, is open Monday and Thursday to Sunday and closed every Tuesday and Wednesday. From 1 October it closes at 4pm instead of 6pm until the end of March, and you cannot drive in without a booked slot. Billingshurst, the district’s other tip, keeps different days. Here are both, with the booking rules, what you can bring, and what happened at Christmas last year.

The quick answer

  • Horsham (Hop Oast), Worthing Road, RH13 0AR: open Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 9am to 6pm until 30 September and 9am to 4pm from 1 October to 31 March. Closed Tuesday and Wednesday (West Sussex County Council, Horsham Recycling Centre).
  • Billingshurst, Newbridge Road, RH14 9HZ: open Saturday to Wednesday, same hours. Closed Thursday and Friday (Billingshurst Recycling Centre).
  • You must book a slot online or on 01243 642106. Last Christmas every West Sussex tip was shut on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.

Opening hours at the district’s two tips

West Sussex County Council runs both centres. Its summer hours run from 1 April to 30 September; from 1 October to 31 March each centre closes at 4pm (Horsham Recycling Centre).

Day Horsham (Hop Oast) Billingshurst
Monday Open Open
Tuesday Closed Open
Wednesday Closed Open
Thursday Open Closed
Friday Open Closed
Saturday Open Open
Sunday Open Open
Hours, 1 Apr to 30 Sep 9am to 6pm 9am to 6pm
Hours, 1 Oct to 31 Mar 9am to 4pm 9am to 4pm

Between them the two tips cover every day of the week, so if Horsham is shut on a Tuesday or Wednesday, Billingshurst is open.

Last autumn the county’s announcement confirmed the same winter days: Horsham on Monday and Thursday to Sunday, Billingshurst on Monday to Wednesday and Saturday to Sunday, all centres 9am to 4pm (West Sussex County Council, 26 September 2025). The same notice listed the nearest centres over the district border: Shoreham-by-Sea (Wednesday to Sunday) is the closest for Steyning and Henfield, and Crawley opens Monday to Wednesday and Friday to Sunday.

Christmas and New Year

West Sussex has not yet published its Christmas 2026 hours. Last year its notice said all centres will be closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day (West Sussex County Council, 26 September 2025). On their other normal days they kept winter hours of 9am to 4pm.

In 2026 Christmas Day falls on a Friday and New Year’s Day on a Friday. If last year’s closures are repeated, Hop Oast would be shut on Friday 25 and Saturday 26 December, open on Sunday 27 and Monday 28 December, shut on its usual Tuesday and Wednesday, open on Thursday 31 December, then shut on Friday 1 January. That makes the Sunday and Monday after Christmas the busy days. The county’s booking page warns that demand is high over bank holidays (Book to Recycle).

For bin collections over Christmas, including the catch-up Saturdays, see Horsham Christmas bin collections.

Booking a slot

Every West Sussex recycling centre needs a booking, except the mobile centres (Book to Recycle). The rules:

  • Up to five visits a calendar month.
  • Book up to 14 days ahead, or on the day if a slot is free.
  • Arrive any time within your 15 or 30 minute slot.
  • You need the vehicle’s registration, your address and an email address. The registration cannot be edited, so a mistake means cancelling and rebooking.
  • Bring your booking confirmation and proof of residency if asked; most centres are for West Sussex residents only.
  • The phone line, 01243 642106, is open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5.30pm.

Staff turn away cars that arrive without a booking, too early, or after the slot has ended (terms and conditions).

Vehicles, walking in and rubble

  • No vans taller than 2.2 metres, no Luton vans, horseboxes, tippers, flatbeds or drop-sides, and nothing over 3.5 tonnes at either site.
  • Trailers: Horsham accepts no trailers of any sort. Billingshurst bars only twin-axle (four-wheel) trailers.
  • On foot or by bike: not allowed at Horsham. At Billingshurst you can arrive on foot, by bicycle or on a mobility scooter without booking, and hand your waste to staff at the gate; there is no safe walkway, so walk-in visitors cannot use the reuse shop.
  • Building rubble: every centre takes up to 200kg of construction and demolition waste, about a small car boot load or eight 25kg rubble bags (terms and conditions). Check individual items in the county’s A to Z of recycling.
  • Batteries and small electricals must be kept separate from household waste, which the county asks for to prevent fires. Both centres have a disabled parking bay with dropped kerbs.

Billingshurst also has a reuse shop selling donated goods, and every centre has a paint reuse container.

For traffic and roadworks on the way to either tip, see Horsham roadworks and travel, and for town-centre parking, parking in Horsham.

Still to be confirmed

  • Christmas 2026 closures, expected in the county’s autumn hours notice (last year’s was published on 26 September) or in December.
  • Whether the winter days change. The centre pages show the summer days; the 2025 winter notice kept the same days at both Horsham-district sites.

This page will be updated when the county confirms.

FAQs

Is Horsham tip open on Tuesday?

No. Horsham (Hop Oast) is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays all year. Billingshurst is open on both days.

What time does Horsham tip close in winter?

4pm, from 1 October to 31 March. In summer it closes at 6pm.

Do I need to book to use Horsham tip?

Yes. Book a slot on the county’s Book to Recycle system or on 01243 642106, up to 14 days ahead.

Can I take a trailer to Horsham tip?

No. Hop Oast accepts no trailers. Billingshurst bars only twin-axle (four-wheel) trailers.

Sources

Checked against the county council’s own pages on 25 September 2026.