Plan Your Golden Island Recycling Trip Before Loading the Car
Athlone Civic Amenity Site is behind Golden Island Shopping Centre, Athlone, Co. Westmeath, N37 T625. It is a household-only council recycling centre accepting normal recyclables, WEEE, bulky items, residual waste and selected hazardous household waste.
The centre opens Monday to Saturday from 9am to 5pm, stays open through lunch and has a last-entry time of 4:40pm. Hazardous waste follows a separate monthly timetable, so do not bring paint or pesticides on an ordinary day without checking the schedule.
Independent guide — charges and operating arrangements can change, so use the linked Westmeath County Council information before an unusual or high-value load.
Quick answer for Athlone residents
Address: rear of Golden Island Shopping Centre, Athlone, Co. Westmeath, N37 T625.
Hours: Monday–Saturday, 9am–5pm. Last entry is 4:40pm. Closed Sunday and bank holidays.
Phone: 090 647 7397.
The rule most likely to prevent a wasted trip
The Golden Island site is explicitly marked Household Use ONLY. Do not arrive with commercial volumes or a trade load assuming the council site will accept it.
Hazardous household waste also has its own collection window: the last Friday and Saturday of each month, 10am–1pm.
Athlone Recycling Centre Opening Hours
Westmeath County Council currently publishes a simple six-day schedule for both of its civic amenity sites. Athlone stays open through lunch, but entry closes 20 minutes before the advertised 5pm site closing time.
| Day | Opening hours | Important note |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | 9am–5pm | Last entry 4:40pm |
| Tuesday | 9am–5pm | Last entry 4:40pm |
| Wednesday | 9am–5pm | Last entry 4:40pm |
| Thursday | 9am–5pm | Last entry 4:40pm |
| Friday | 9am–5pm | Last entry 4:40pm |
| Saturday | 9am–5pm | Last entry 4:40pm |
| Sunday | Closed | No normal Sunday opening |
| Bank holidays | Closed | Check council notices around holiday weekends |
No lunch closure: unlike some Irish civic amenity sites, Westmeath County Council specifically states that Athlone is open during lunch.
4:40pm means last entry, not suggested arrival time. Leave more time for a trailer, mixed load or several waste streams so staff do not have to refuse entry near closing.
Athlone Recycling Centre Address, Eircode and Phone
Rear of Golden Island Shopping Centre
Athlone, Co. Westmeath
N37 T625
Use N37 T625 when navigating rather than relying only on a generic “Athlone recycling centre” map search. Athlone also has private waste facilities, so a search result can point to a different operator with different hours, prices and commercial-waste rules.
Identity check: Golden Island is the Westmeath County Council civic amenity site. RecyclingCentreIreland.org is an independent guide and does not operate the facility.
Athlone Recycling Centre Charges
The fee sheet currently linked from Westmeath County Council’s recycling-centres page separates free WEEE, the normal gate fee, trailer charges, bulky-item prices and residual-waste charges.
| Load or item | Published charge | What the charge means |
|---|---|---|
| Standard gate fee | €3 | Covers listed standard recyclable materials. |
| Car + small trailer | €10 | Single-axle, low-side trailer. |
| Car/van + double-axle trailer | €20 | Higher trailer charge. |
| Residual waste black bag | €4 | Maximum 12kg per listed bag. |
| WEEE streams | Free entry | See the free-items section below. |
Separate the load before arriving. The €3 gate fee does not mean every possible household item costs €3. Bulky furniture, mattresses, residual waste and trailer loads have their own published charges.
What Can You Recycle Free at Athlone?
Westmeath County Council specifically lists several WEEE streams for free entry. These are different from ordinary recyclables that use the standard gate fee.
Keep WEEE separate from the rest of the car load. If you mix free electrical items with charged recyclables or bulky waste, the other parts of the load can still attract their normal fees.
Materials Covered by the Athlone Gate Fee
The current Westmeath fee sheet lists the following general recyclable materials under the gate-fee category.
Tyre limit: the current council fee sheet specifies a maximum of four car tyres per visit. Larger or trade quantities should not be treated as an ordinary household visit.
Athlone Mattress, Furniture and Carpet Charges
Bulky household items use fixed charges. Westmeath’s published bulky-waste table states that these prices include VAT and the gate fee.
| Bulky item | Charge | Before loading |
|---|---|---|
| Armchair | €10 | Keep separate from ordinary recyclables. |
| Bed | €10 | Call if unusually large or dismantled into mixed materials. |
| Couch | €14 | Published furniture charge. |
| Furniture suite | €30 | For a full suite rather than one chair. |
| Wardrobe | €10 | Ask first if exceptionally large. |
| Large carpet/lino roll | €20 | Keep rolled and manageable for unloading. |
| Large hard-plastic toy | €6 | Remove batteries where applicable. |
| Single mattress | €10 | Fixed published mattress charge. |
| Double mattress | €18 | Fixed published mattress charge. |
| Plastic garden furniture | €5 | Published bulky-item fee. |
Price distinction: these are item-specific bulky-waste prices, not an additional €3 gate fee on top. The council fee sheet describes them as including the gate fee.
Paint, Pesticides and Household Hazardous Waste at Athlone
Hazardous household waste follows a restricted timetable at Athlone. Westmeath County Council schedules collection for the last Friday and Saturday of every month from 10am to 1pm.
The council limits the hazardous collection to five items per visit, with those listed items covered by the gate fee.
Do not bring hazardous household chemicals on a random weekday expecting normal disposal. Plan around the last-Friday/last-Saturday collection window and call first if your material is leaking, unidentified or outside the listed categories.
Athlone Civic Amenity Site Is for Household Use Only
The council’s current recycling-centre page explicitly says Household Use ONLY. That matters if you are a tradesperson, business, landlord clearing commercial premises or someone arriving with a commercial-scale load.
A household item carried in a van is not automatically commercial waste, but a large trade-style load can create uncertainty. Phone the site before travelling if your vehicle or quantity could reasonably look commercial.
Do not confuse the council centre with private facilities in Athlone. They may have different opening hours, accepted materials, prices and rules for business customers.
Five Steps for a Faster Athlone Recycling Centre Visit
List everything in the load
Separate ordinary recyclables, WEEE, residual waste, tyres, bulky furniture and any hazardous material before deciding what the trip will cost.
Check whether your visit is household use
If the material came from commercial work or you have trade quantities, use an authorised commercial route instead of assuming Golden Island will accept it.
Calculate the likely charge
Free WEEE, standard gate-fee recycling, trailer loads, bulky items and residual bags all use different published fee rules.
Check the calendar for chemicals
Paint, pesticides and similar hazardous household items use the last-Friday/last-Saturday monthly collection from 10am to 1pm.
Arrive before the 4:40pm cut-off
The centre closes at 5pm but the published last-entry time is 4:40pm. Give yourself more room if you need to unload several sorted streams.
Where Does Your Item Fit?
I have an old fridge or washing machine
White goods such as fridges, washing machines and cookers are listed as WEEE with free entry. Keep them separate from charged bulky furniture.
I have four old car tyres
Car tyres are listed under the normal gate-fee materials with a maximum of four per visit. More than four should be checked with the site before travel.
I have one black bag of non-recyclable household waste
The fee sheet lists a residual-waste black bag at €4, with a maximum bag weight of 12kg.
I have an old double mattress
The published charge is €18. A single mattress is listed at €10.
I have leftover paint
Paint cans use Athlone’s scheduled household hazardous-waste collection. Plan for the last Friday or Saturday of the month between 10am and 1pm and stay within the five-item visit limit.
I have batteries and an old phone only
Batteries and mobile phones are listed as free-entry WEEE streams, so keep them separate from charged recycling.
Map to Athlone Recycling Centre at Golden Island
The centre is behind Golden Island Shopping Centre. Use the Eircode N37 T625 for route planning rather than relying on a similarly named private waste facility.
Map limitation: a map pin cannot confirm today’s opening status, gate fee, hazardous-waste date or whether an unusual load will be accepted.
Do You Actually Need the Golden Island Civic Amenity Site?
Westmeath County Council says the county has dozens of bring banks where selected glass, cans and textiles can be recycled free of charge. If your load contains only one of those simple streams, a nearby bring bank may avoid a trip to the full civic amenity site.
Athlone Recycling Centre FAQ
What are Athlone Recycling Centre opening hours?
The Golden Island civic amenity site opens Monday to Saturday from 9am to 5pm. Last entry is at 4:40pm. It is closed Sunday and bank holidays.
Does Athlone Recycling Centre close for lunch?
No. Westmeath County Council specifically states that its civic amenity sites are open during lunch.
Where is Athlone Recycling Centre?
It is behind Golden Island Shopping Centre in Athlone, Co. Westmeath. The Eircode is N37 T625.
What is the Athlone Recycling Centre phone number?
The site number published by Westmeath County Council is 090 647 7397.
How much is the Athlone Recycling Centre gate fee?
The council fee sheet currently linked from its recycling-centres page lists the standard gate fee at €3.
How much does a trailer cost at Athlone Recycling Centre?
A car with a small single-axle low-side trailer is listed at €10. A car or van with a double-axle trailer is listed at €20.
How much is a mattress at Athlone Recycling Centre?
The current linked fee sheet lists €10 for a single mattress and €18 for a double mattress.
Can I bring electrical items to Athlone for free?
Yes. The council lists batteries, fluorescent tubes, mobile phones and white goods such as fridges, washing machines and cookers as free-entry WEEE streams.
Can I bring paint to Athlone Recycling Centre?
Paint cans use the household hazardous-waste collection, scheduled for the last Friday and Saturday of each month from 10am to 1pm. The council limits hazardous waste to five items per visit.
Can businesses use Athlone Recycling Centre?
The Westmeath County Council page states that the civic amenity site is for household use only. Commercial waste should use an authorised commercial route.
Official Sources Checked for This Athlone Guide
Address, telephone number, opening hours, household-use restrictions and hazardous-waste dates were checked against Westmeath County Council’s current Recycling Centres page. Prices and accepted waste were checked against the fee sheet currently linked by the council.
- Westmeath County Council — Recycling Centres
- Westmeath County Council — Recycling Centre Fees & Accepted Waste
- MyWaste — Athlone Recycling Centre
Westmeath County Council also published a Recycling Fees notice on 27 July 2026. Always use the live council recycling page and its currently linked fee document before a costly or unusual visit because charges and site arrangements can change.
Before You Leave for Golden Island
Use N37 T625, sort the load before leaving home, confirm that it is household rather than commercial waste and work out whether each stream is free WEEE, normal gate-fee recycling, residual waste or a separately priced bulky item.
If you have paint, pesticides, varnish or other listed household hazardous waste, plan for the last Friday or Saturday of the month between 10am and 1pm. For unusual loads, call the site on 090 647 7397 first.
Independent information guide: RecyclingCentreIreland.org is not Westmeath County Council and does not operate Athlone Civic Amenity Site.