Major change to what residents can recycle in Greater Manchester announced

Residents in Bury, Bolton, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside and Trafford will now be able to recycle a wider range of plastic items in their household mixed recycling bin, thanks to upgrades in Greater Manchester’s recycling facilities and to the recent contract extension with SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK.

This week marks National Recycle Week (October 14 to 18) which is focused on rescuing items that can be recycled, so we are excited to announce that from today, 14 October, residents in those boroughs will now be able to recycle clean plastic items like:

• Plastic pots (e.g. yoghurt, soup, cosmetics etc)
• Plastic tubs (e.g. margarine, laundry powder, chocolates etc)
• Plastic trays including black plastic trays (e.g. raw and cooked meat, fruit and veg punnets etc)

These items can now be put in the mixed recycling bin, alongside:

• Plastic bottles (e.g. milk, pop, bleach, cleaning products, trigger sprays, shampoo)
• Glass bottles and jars
• Food tins and drinks cans
• Aerosols
• Foil

Plastic films like crisp packets, bread bags, pet food pouches and carrier bags, still cannot be recycled. People can throw plastic films into their household bin, where they’ll be burned to generate electricity for the region. However, we are planning to collect these types of plastic for recycling in the future once the new MRF is operational. Hard plastics like garden furniture or children’s toys can be taken to any Recycling Site in Greater Manchester.

Cllr Tom Ross, Portfolio Lead for Waste and Recycling, said:

“Signing the biggest waste management contract in Europe with SUEZ has given us the stability and confidence to invest in our recycling facilities. We’re already in the top five authorities in the UK for recycling rates and this will help us to continue leading the way.

“With the Government’s Simpler Recycling Policy on the horizon, we have taken swift action to prepare for the coming changes, to ensure we’ll be compliant when the new rules come in.

“These upgrades will keep up our momentum on recycling, giving us time to build our new, cutting-edge materials recovery centre in Manchester while supporting residents to recycle more easily.”

Daniel Carolan, Contract Director for SUEZ in Greater Manchester, said:

"We are pleased that through our recent contract extension with Greater Manchester Combined Authority, investment in the recycling facilities has enabled the introduction of plastic pots, tubs and trays. We know this announcement will be warmly welcomed by residents across Greater Manchester.

“This investment gives residents more options to recycle, helps protect the planet and reduces our carbon footprint. Working with GMCA, this is just one of the many improvements we've made to waste services in Greater Manchester in recent years, including increased recycling rates, a near-zero landfill rate, and an innovative reuse project at the Greater Manchester Renew Hub."

For more information visit www.reycleforgreatermanchester.com/plastic or check your local council website.