Black bin collections

Mixed recycling (glass, cans and plastic bottles)

Mixed recycling is collected every four weeks. Your bin should be available for collection from the edge of your property, or your collection point, from 6:30am on the day of collection.

Which items can be recycled in the black bin?

Please rinse your items before you put them in the bin.  

  • Aerosols (no lids)
  • Foil and foil trays
  • Food and drinks cans
  • Bottle shaped plastics (no lids) such as:
    • Cleaning product bottles
    • Trigger spray bottles
    • Shampoo and shower gel bottles
    • Drinks bottles
    • Milk bottles
  • Glass bottles and jars (no lids)

black-bin-go-in

We will not empty bins that contain the following:

  • Plastic food trays
  • Yoghurt pots
  • Margarine tubs
  • Plastic film
  • Plastic bags
  • Soil

Bags of waste presented to the side of the bin will not be collected. If you do have extra recycling, please take this to your local household waste recycling centre.

'Why the only plastic we recycle are bottle shaped’

When recycling plastic think - Is it bottled shaped? If it's bottle-shaped, then you can recycle it.  

Unlike plastic bottles which are mainly made of two types of plastic (HDPE and PET) plastic pots, tubs, trays and bags are made of a range of different types of plastic and cannot be recycled together.

All plastics in theory can be recycled but it is not always technically or economically viable. Some pots tubs and trays are made of the same type of plastic as bottles but not the same quality. Remanufacturers only want high quality plastic.

In Greater Manchester, only plastic bottles are collected because there is a sustainable market for them, with a guarantee they will be recycled.

What happens to my plastic tubs, pots and trays?

Your plastic pots, tubs, trays and bags go in your grey bin. In Greater Manchester, the rubbish we cannot recycle is used to make electricity. It does not go landfill. To find out more visit what happens to our waste

To find out what to do with specific items visit the A-Z on the Recycle for Greater Manchester website.