Christmas 2022 bin collection dates: When your rubbish and recycling will be collected in Greater Manchester

Councils across Greater Manchester have outlined their plans for dealing with rubbish and recycling over Christmas – with some wheelie bins being collected on different dates.  With Christmas Day and New Year’s Day falling on a Sunday this year, town halls have confirmed Boxing Day and the bank holidays on December 27 and January 2 are affecting some collection schedules. 

Here are the plans in each of the 10 Greater Manchester boroughs.

Bolton

In Bolton there are some changes to planned bin collections during the Christmas dates. There will be no collection of food waste containers and green bins between Monday, December 26 and Friday, December 30.

Grey bins due to be collected on Boxing Day will be collected on Tuesday 27 and Wednesday, December 28. Beige and burgundy bins will be collected from Wednesday, December 28 to Friday, December 30.

Households due a collection on Boxing Day will receive a letter with changes to their collection day. This can also be found on the council’s website: www.bolton.gov.uk/next-bin-collection. Bin collections will then go back to normal in the new year on the week beginning Monday January 2.

Bury

Over the festive period, there are no planned changes to blue – plastic, glass, tins-, green -paper and cardboard – or grey, – general waste – bin collections in Bury.

Brown bins – which are for garden waste – are paused for two weeks from December 26 to January 6 due to reduced garden waste in winter. “This means collection crews can put extra effort into emptying the other bins which can fill up more quickly at this time of year,” the council states.

Manchester

Bin collection days in Manchester are changing to allow for the Christmas bank holidays.

Collections due to be made on Monday, December 26 will now move a day later to Tuesday, December 27. Tuesday, December 27 collections move to Wednesday, December 28. Wednesday, December 28 collections move to Thursday, December 29. Thursday, December 29 collections move to Friday, December 30.

Friday, December 30 collections move to Saturday, December 31. Days return to normal from January 1 onwards.

Residents can recycle real Christmas trees in January after removing any lights or decorations and also the wooden base or stand. Leave the tree next to green bins on any of your green bin collection days in January or take it to your local tip or Household Waste Recycling Centre.

Those living in a flat or apartment should speak to their caretaker or building manager. If this is not possible, residents are asked send an email to: [email protected] with name and address, a description of the location where the tree will be left and when for collection during January. Artificial trees cannot be recycled.

Oldham

Oldham council has announced a change to some of its collections during Christmas. If residents’ waste and recycling bins are due to be emptied on Boxing Day on Monday, December 26 then they are being asked to put them out two days earlier on December 24 – Christmas Eve.

This is except for green bins and food caddies which will be collected on Monday January 2. Collections on Monday, January 2 will take place as normal.

To dispose of Christmas trees, residents can put it in their green bin if chopped into small pieces and without its wooden block, and any lights and decorations.

Alternatively the council says people can take their trees to Arkwright Street Household Waste and Recycling Centre or leave it at one of its collection points in the following parks from December 28 to January 31:

Higher Memorial Park (car park), Joseph Street, Failsworth.

Royton Park (car park) off Bleasdale Street, Royton.

Werneth Park (car park) off Frederick Street, Werneth.

Churchill Playing Fields (car park), Wellington Road, Greenfield.

George Street Playing Fields (car park), off Milnrow Road, Shaw.

Rochdale

There are no planned changes to the waste collections in Rochdale over the Christmas period and all collection rounds remain in place.

Salford

No changes are planned to bin collection days over Christmas and New Year for Salford residents. The town hall confirmed that bins will be collected as normal throughout the festive period including the bank holidays on Monday, December 26, Tuesday, December  27 and Monday, January 2.

Stockport

The council is asking people to check its website for their collection day as there are no collections due on several festive days.

Councillor Mark Roberts, cabinet member for climate change and environment at Stockport council, said: “There are no collections on Christmas Day, Boxing Day or New Year’s Day – we would ask residents to please check their collection calendar for details of when their waste and recycling will be collected over the festive period.

“Alternatively, they can visit www.stockport.gov.uk/find-your-collection-day. We would also like to remind residents that there will be no Garden Collection (green bin/caddy) week commencing December 26 – garden collections will start again from Monday, January 2, 2023.

“In addition, the council has teamed up with St Anne’s Hospice Christmas tree collection service, who will be picking up trees once residents have completed a registration form. For more details, visit www.sah.org.uk/get-involved/christmas/christmas-tree-recycling/”

Residents should leave bins out before 7am at the front edge of their property or nominated collection point.

Tameside

In Tameside there are due to be some changes to residents’ bin collections over Christmas.

There will be no brown bin collections at all across the borough from Monday, 26 December until Friday, 6 January, 2023.

Anyone due a collection on the bank holidays on Boxing Day, Tuesday, December 27, or Monday, January 2 will face a change to the schedule. But all other collections run as normal.

If residents are due a general waste green bin collection on December 26, it will instead be collected on Wednesday, 28 December. Meanwhile recycling – black bins – or paper – blue bin – collections due on this day will be collected on Friday, December 30.

If residents are due a green bin collection on December 27, it will be collected on Thursday, December 29. If they are due a black or a blue bin collection, it will be collected on Tuesday, January 3.

From Wednesday, December 28 to Friday, December 30 there will be normal collections except for brown bins.

On Monday, January 2, if a green bin collection is due it will instead be collected on Wednesday, January 4. And residents with a black and blue bin collections due on this day will be collected on Thursday, January 5.

From Tuesday, January 3, to Friday, January 6 there will be normal collections except for brown bins.

Real Christmas trees without any decorations left on can be left out with brown bins for recycling from Monday, January 9. The council says it will collect any additional recyclable waste which is left out with black or blue recycling bins in a clear or labelled bag.

Coun Denise Ward, executive member for the climate emergency and environmental services, said: “Making the effort to recycle means we all help the environment by keeping the amount of waste sent for disposal to a minimum. I would also ask that you park considerately so that waste vehicles have unimpeded access to all roads and bins.

“In conclusion, I want to thank our bin crews who work so hard over the Christmas holiday to ensure collections go smoothly.”

Trafford

Bin collections in Trafford are also being affected by the Christmas holidays this year.

Bin collections will take place as normal, the week commencing Monday 19 December. But in the week beginning on Monday, December 26, bin collections will take place a day later than normal.

Residents are asked to present their scheduled bins by 6.30am on the new collection day.  Collections due to be made on Monday, December 26 will now move to Tuesday 27 December. Tuesday, December 27 collections move to Wednesday, December 28.

Wednesday, 28 December collections move to Thursday, December 29. Thursday, December 29 collections move to Friday, December 30.

Friday, December 30 collections move to Saturday, December 31. Days return to normal from January 2 onwards.

To help with any additional waste over the Christmas period, residents can also place any extra cardboard next to their blue recycling bin and place two ‘small’ rubbish bags next to the grey bin – but only on the first collection after Christmas. The town hall warns any extra waste placed out after this collection will not be removed.

After Christmas, Trafford council is asking residents to chop up their Christmas tree and place it in their green bin, or take it to a drop off points or recycling centre. Locations of the six collection points for trees are available here.

Trees will be collected from Saturday, January 7 until Saturday, January 21. “Any trees left after this date will be classed as fly-tipping; this is an offence which can lead to a fine,” the council warns.

Wigan

In Wigan, blue, brown and black bin collection days will stay the same over Christmas, but green bin collections will be suspended between Monday, December 26 until Friday, January 6.