Right stuff right bin

Thank you for recycling and helping to make Trafford one of the best recycling boroughs in England.

Unfortunately, not everyone is recycling everything they can. This means that we are still spending more on waste disposal than we need to. Recycling more means spending less on waste disposal; helping us to protect other essential services.

To help increase recycling, we reserve the right not to collect your recycling bins if you don’t put the correct item in the right bin. We will check recycling bins and not empty them if they contain the wrong items. When we do this, we will leave a tag on the bin explaining what you need to do.

Not sure what to recycle in what bin? Download your recycling guide

Frequently asked questions

Don’t I pay for my waste to be collected in my Council Tax?

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Although collected locally, the payment of Council Tax is part of a national taxation system and is not dedicated to the provision of specific services from the Council. Spending less on waste disposal means we can help protect other essential services with the funding we do have.

The Council has a duty to collect your waste as long as you have presented your waste for collection in the right way and at the right time.

How will this be monitored?

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This will be monitored in the following ways:

  • The waste collection crews will check recycling bins and reject bins containing the wrong material
  • The crew will leave an Oops tag explaining the bin contains wrong items and what you need to before your next scheduled collection
  • The in-cab system and 360 degree cameras on the waste collection vehicles are additional tools we intend to use to check everyone is recycling everything they can

What if I dispute what is found in my bin while it’s waiting to be emptied on collection day?

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At the point of collection, the waste collection crews will be unaware of the circumstances as to why the bin contains the incorrect waste. For example, a member of the public misusing your bin. This means your bin could be rejected for containing the wrong items. Our in-cab system will capture the evidence to support the reasons why the bin was not collected.

To help reduce the possibility of someone putting their waste in your bin, please present your bin at 6.30am on your scheduled bin collection day.

We will be campaigning to encourage everyone to number their bins and store them on their own property; only putting them out on collection day. We would also have a dedicated officer to work in terraced housing areas to investigate rejected bins, fly-tipping and bins left on the pavement or road after collection day.

What will happen if I ignore the Council’s instruction to separate my waste for recycling?

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The Council has the right not to empty your recycling bin if waste is not separated for recycling.

How will you identify which households are those where vulnerable adults live alone or have conditions which mean recycling is not practical or possible?

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We will continue to operate in accordance with the Council’s information governance and data protection policies.

We already have an assisted collection service and many residents entitled to an exemption may already receive our assisted collection service. We will only accept applications for exemption from those individuals who are authorised to act on behalf of the vulnerable adult.

Officers may visit any property where recycling bins are not being presented.

Through this interaction, it is likely that further households will be identified that should be on the exemption list and a process will be put in place to add them to the list on a case by case basis.

We offer an assisted collection service to any resident who, through age or physical limitation, finds it hard to place their bins out for collection.

What do I do with my recycling if my recycling bins become full?

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If you are regularly running out of space in any of your recycling containers you are entitled to extra containers under the Council’s Household waste Recycling Policy. You may request additional containers online but please allow up to 10 working days for delivery.

An administration and delivery fee will be charged for new, replacement or additional blue, black and green bins. Alternatively, you can take your additional waste to your nearest recycling centre.

How do I order a recycling bin?

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You may request additional recycling bins online but please allow up to 10 working days for delivery. We charge an administration and delivery fee for all new, replacement or additional blue, black and green bins.