Greater Manchester Christmas and New Year 2024 bin collection dates and changes for every borough

Councils across Greater Manchester have announced their plans for bin collections over the festive season.

Due to the Christmas, Boxing Day and New Year’s bank holidays all falling during the week, there will be changes to most collection dates this year.

Townhalls have confirmed replacement pick-up dates for general waste and recycling. And some have given tips on how to dispose of your Christmas trees after the big event.

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Greater Manchester councils are also encouraging people to recycle as much as possible. A change in recycling rules means that pots, tubs and trays are now accepted in mixed recycling in Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside and Trafford.

Here is a breakdown of each borough’s bin collection changes:

Bolton

There will be no collections on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day in Bolton, meaning that there will be some changes to bin collections.

The borough will have no green bin collection service from Monday, December 23 to Friday, January 3, which includes large green bins and smaller food waste containers for all households. Green bin collections will resume on Monday, 6 January as normal.

Burgundy bins will be collected two days earlier than scheduled around Christmas - on December 23 and 24 - and two days after New Year’s Day on January 3.

Grey bins will be collected on Friday, December 27; Monday, December 30 and Thursday, January 2. And beige bins will be picked up on Tuesday, December 31 and Monday, January 6, when normal services resume.

Bury

Bury has rescheduled collections due on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day to one day earlier.

Any grey, green or blue bins due for collection on December 24 will be picked up on December 23, and any due on the 25th will be retrieved on the 24th. There will be no changes to the collections due on Tuesday, January 31.

But the council noted that no brown bins will be collected between December 23 and January 5.

Extra waste can be taken to local waste and recycling centres, which will be open every day except on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

Councillor Alan Quinn, cabinet member for the environment, climate change and operations, also said: “The festive season always brings more waste – from Christmas cards to wrapping paper and boxes, not to mention all the leftover food, drinks bottles, chocolate tubs and food cartons.

“Please do your bit to help us recycle as much as possible.”

Manchester

Manchester will also see some changes in collection dates. Collections due on Monday, December 23 and Tuesday, December 31 won’t change.

But from Christmas Day until Friday, December 27, collections will always fall two days later, with a second collection eight days later. So bins due to be collected on Christmas day will be picked up on Friday, December 27 and Thursday, January 2; those due on Boxing Day will be picked up on Saturday, December 28 and Friday, January 3; and those on Friday, December 27 will be collected on December 29 and Saturday, January 4.

The townhall also noted that real Christmas trees (without decorations and with bases removed) can be chopped up and placed into green bins. Alternatively, some charities like Just Helping will collect for a small donation, or they can be dropped off at some local parks.

Oldham

Oldham Council confirmed changes to thejr waste and recycling rounds over the bank holidays.

Bins due on Christmas Day will be collected three days latr on Saturday, December 28. This includes green bins and food caddies.

Collections scheduled for Boxing Day will take place five days earlier on Saturday, December 21, but green bins and food caddies won’t be emptied.

Bins due on New Year’s Day will be collected the following Saturday, January 4, except green bins and food caddies which will be collected as normal on Wednesday, January 8.

Real Christmas trees can be chopped up and recycled in green bins - minus the base of the tree, which is too big to be composted.

Arkwright Street Household Waste and Recycling also accepts trees - and any extra Christmas waste. The rubbish can be left at the following collection points between December 28 and January 15:

• Higher Memorial Park (car park), Joseph Street, Failsworth (open 7.30am until dusk)
• Royton Park (car park) off Bleasdale Street, Royton (open 7.30am until dusk)
• Werneth Park (car park) off Frederick Street, Werneth (open 7.30am until dusk)
• Churchill Playing Fields (car park), Wellington Road, Greenfield (anytime access)
• George Street Playing Fields (car park), off Milnrow Road, Shaw (anytime access)

Rochdale

In Rochdale, bin collections will take place slightly later than usual. If your bin is due for collection on Wednesday, December 25, the new collection date will be on Saturday, December 28.

Bin collections due on Boxing Day will be on Monday, December 30. And those on Wednesday, January 1 will happen on Saturday, January 4.

Salford

In Salford there will be no collections on Christmas, Boxing Day or New Year’s Day.

Collections will instead take place every Saturday before Christmas and after new year - on December 21 and 28, then January 4. After that services will resume as usual.

Stockport

A spokesperson for Stockport Council said: “There are no collections on Christmas Day, Boxing Day or New Year’s Day - please check your collection calendar via https://www.stockport.gov.uk/find-your-collection-day for details of when your waste and recycling will be collected over the festive period.

“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 https://www.sah.org.uk/get-involved/christmas/christmas-tree-recycling/.”

The council also noted that extra recycling can be taken to Adswood Road Recycling Centre, Bredbury Parkway Recycling Centre or Rose Hill Recycling Centre between 8am and 6pm each day except on Christmas and New Years Day.

Tameside

Rubbish will be collected as normal on December 23 and 24 in Tameside, but there will be no service on Christmas Day.

For those due a green (general waste) bin collection, it will be collected on Friday, December 27. Black (comingled recycled waste) or a blue (paper recycling waste) bins will be collected on Thursday, January 2.

Over New Year’s, normal collections will take place between December 27 until 31, but there is no service on Wednesday, January 1. Green collection will take place on Friday, January 3, with black or blue on Monday, January 6.

There will also be no brown bin collections on Monday, January 3 and Tuesday, January 7, after which normal services will resume.

It’s possible to recycle real Christmas trees in the brown bin, or in aid of Willow Wood Hospice. Register collection at www.just-helping.org.uk/register-tree.

Trafford

There will be changes to bin collection days for two weeks in Trafford, with no collections on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year’s Day.

Over the Christmas week, residents whose bins are collected on Monday and Tuesday will remain the same. Residents whose bins would have been collected on Wednesday, December 25 (Christmas Day) and Thursday, December 26 (Boxing Day), should present them for collection on Friday, December 27.

Residents whose bins are collected on Friday 27 December, should leave their bin on Saturday 28 December. There will be no green bin collections during Christmas week (December 23 - 27) until the next collection on Monday December 30.

For New Year's week, Monday and Tuesday (December 30 & 31) collections will remain the same. However, from Wednesday January 1 (New Year's Day) all bin collections will be one day after normal collection days, e.g. Wednesday collections on Thursday. You can present your green bin as normal.

Normal bin collection schedules will resume from Monday 6 January 2025.

The council will collect real Christmas tree that have been chopped and placed in green bins with the lid closed.

Wigan

In Wigan there are a number of changes to waste collections over the festive period.

Collection dates set before Christmas will be one day early. Those after December 25 will be a day later than usual.

Green bin collections will be suspended from December 29 until January 10. They will resume either weekend of January 13 or weekend of January 20, dependent on your area.

To check bin collection days over the festive period, residents can refer to their bin collection calendar or visit www.wigan.gov.uk/recycling.

Green bin collections will be suspended from 29 December until 10 January. They will resume either January or January 20, dependent on the area.