Q. Why is Oldham Council changing its household waste and recycling services?
Q. When do these new arrangements start?
Q. Are such arrangements unique to Oldham?
Q. Will the changes affect my Council Tax?
Q. What happens to the materials collected for recycling and composting?
All the material collected in the brown bin/black box or no-blo bag/green sack is sent to re-processors to be recycled. Glass gets made into new jars and bottles, cans are melted down to make new metal products, paper/card makes new paper/ cardbard products, and plastic bottles can even make fleece jackets!
All of the garden waste and food waste collected is composted and then used as a soil improver on agricultural land.
Q. I live in a terraced property, why do I now have to take my grey-wheeled bin to the end of the entry to have it collected?
The Council has to achieve greater value for money in delivering all of its services. By moving to an end of passage collection service, we can collect bins from the homes on your street a lot quicker as they will all be located together at the ends of passages.
As we will stop driving down the entries it will mean that we will be able to use larger vehicles with an increased capacity. This will result in fewer trips to empty the collected waste, which is more efficient. This will lead to a reduction in the number of waste collection rounds, which leads to significant financial savings to the Council through reduced vehicle hire costs, fuel, and reductions in vehicle damage resulting from driving down alleys.
None of the existing waste collection workforce will be made redundant.
In the future it may be possible to use the savings made from adopting this method of waste collection to helping refurbish alleys across the Borough.
Q. Can large families request extra recycling bags, boxes and bins?
The Council will provide additional Green Sacks or No-blo Bags for recycling paper/card on request at no additional cost. Also small brown bins can be exchanged for a larger one if needed.
If you feel that once you have additional containers for recycling and composting you still have too much rubbish, then please call ‘Contact Oldham’ on 0161 770 6644 to arrange a waste audit to be carried out at your home. This will allow us to work with you to help reduce, reuse, recycle and compost your waste using the containers we have supplied.
Q. What types of waste can the Council not collect from your home?
The following items are not acceptable as household waste and will not be collected by the Council from your home:
The Council does not collect any waste created on household premises by builders, plumbers, electricians, gardeners, joiners, odd-job men, glaziers, double-glazing installers, fitted kitchen / bedroom installers or any other tradesmen.
All contractors should remove the waste they produce when carrying out any work on your property. They are legally obliged to do this under Section 34 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. If you let them place their waste in your grey wheeled bin you may also be guilty of an offence by causing them to evade their legal duty of not declaring the waste generated from the work as “commercial waste”.
Q. Will the policy of not collecting any excess domestic waste lead to increased fly tipping across the Borough?
Q. What if I don’t want to recycle?
The Council’s Waste Management Officers can provide you with free advice and help you to manage your waste - please call ‘Contact Oldham’ on 0161 770 6644 for further details. All waste should be contained within the correct receptacle and containers should be kept on a resident's property and not be left out at collection points and in back alleys. Households are advised that the Council has enforcement officers that can issue fixed penalties with regard to waste related matters.
Q. Why is the Council stopping its collections of extra household rubbish that can’t be recycled and requiring grey-wheeled bin lids to be closed?
Q. How do I dispose of items that are too big to fit in my grey-wheeled bin?
Have you considered donating items to charity? There are charities that will take items of furniture, electrical goods and other bulky items, as long as they are in reasonable condition.
You can also take your bulky household waste to the Household Waste and Recycling Centres located for disposal.
Additionally, you can arrange for the Council to collect some bulky items.
Q. What if I am physically unable to put my waste containers out for collection?
The Council is aware that not everyone will be capable of moving household waste containers due to disability or infirmity.
You can request that the Council collects your waste from your door-step if you feel physically unable to take it to the collection point and there is no one else to help you. The assisted collections will only be available to those who can demonstrate that infirmity or disability prevents them from moving their bin to the collection point.
If you wish to apply for an assisted collection please fill in the Assisted Collection Application Form. You will also need to provide supporting documents such as Attendance Allowance, Disability Allowance or Mobility Allowance etc. Additionally, you may be contacted by a Council Officer to arrange a home visit to assess your application.
For more information please call ‘Contact Oldham’ on 0161 770 6644.
Q. What if I don’t have a bin?
If you move into a property and there are no bins we will supply a brown bin/ black box, a no-blo bag/ green sack, a set of food caddies and a green wheelie bin (if applicable) at no charge. If there is no Grey Wheeled Refuse bin a charge of £38.35 inc VAT will be made for the supply of a new one.
If your grey-wheeled bin is stolen we will provide a replacement free of charge. If it goes missing again then a charge of £38.35 inc VAT will be made to replace it.
To make a request call ‘Contact Oldham’ on 0161 770 6644
Q. Can I request a Larger Refuse Bin?
If you are considering applying for an additional wheeled refuse bin because you feel your current bin is not large enough for your needs please read the following:
The Council requests that all residents use the full range of services available for disposing of and recycling their waste - not just their grey-wheeled bin. If you are having difficulty with recycling, please contact the Council for help. Call ‘Contact Oldham’ on 0161 770 6644
You can click here to download an application form for an additional bin.
Q. Can I still use the bring-recycling sites?
Yes. We are currently improving existing sites and adding more sites across the Borough. This will give a choice in how we recycle and also provide those residents who live in flats and are not served by our kerbside recycling services the opportunity to do so in their neighbourhood. To see where your nearest recycling site is visit our pages on Mini Recycling Sites and Household Waste and Recycling Centres.
Q. How do I dispose of the waste that the Council cannot collect?
You can take your household waste to your nearest Household Waste and Recycling Centres located at:
These facilities not only offer additional opportunities for you to recycle and compost your waste but also are disposal points for hazardous household waste (such as paint, oil and car batteries), DIY waste and soil and rubble.
You can also hire a skip from the Council at a competitive rate - call ‘Contact Oldham’ on 0161 770 6644 for further details.
Alternatively you can look in your local telephone directory under the headings “skip hire” or “house clearance” for organisations that offer household waste collections services.
Householders are reminded that they should ensure their waste is disposed of in a proper manner at a licensed waste disposal site. Fly tipping is illegal and irresponsible - it is an offence under the Environmental Protection Act 1990. It also carries a fine of up to £50,000.