Changes to rubbish and recycling across the borough

Oldham Council’s Cabinet has approved proposals to change the way rubbish and recycling is collected across the borough.

From October, bin collections will switch from a two-weekly to a three-weekly cycle – with food and garden collections remaining weekly.

The changes aim to improve the borough’s recycling rate by 12 per cent and reduce the amount spent on general rubbish disposal by as much as £3 million over the next two years.

The new scheme will begin on October 3.

This simplified collection pattern will see grey bins for general rubbish collected one week; blue bins for paper and card the week after; and,brown bins for glass, plastics and tins the following week.

Food and garden waste will still be collected on a weekly basis and this service will be rolled out to a small remaining number of rural properties that don’t currently have it.

The council is also providing residents with all of the recycling space they need for free.

Households that don’t currently have recycling bins can order some and those with small recycling bins will be able to order larger ones.

Any residents not currently using the food waste service can order free food caddies to ensure they have everything they need to start recycling food waste ready for their new collections

Councillor Barbara Brownridge, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods and Co-operatives, said: “Due to government funding cuts over the last few years Oldham Council has had to change the way our frontline services work.”

“These changes to our waste collection service are the latest but we are confident they will continue to provide value for money

“Over the next few years we want to see to our recycling rates increase so we don’t have to pay huge financial penalties. By cutting disposal costs we’ll be helping to save council tax payers’ money, which can be used on other essential public services.

“Over the next two years the council needs to make £37m worth of savings. Making these changes will help avoid further costs putting even more pressure on the Council’s budget. Doing nothing is not an option.

“We’d also like to remind residents that using their weekly collections for food waste and garden waste will eliminate the potential for bad smells and flies, particularly during warmer weather.”

Collection days will stay the same. For example, if a household’s bins are currently collected on a Monday this will continue after the change.

Packs with information about the changes and a recycling guide will be delivered to all households during July. Bin collection calendars specific to each area will be distributed to all residents in September to ensure people are ready and informed.

There a very small number of properties in the borough that will be affected slightly differently – namely flats with communal bins and rural areas.

The council will communicate with these residents separately to ensure they are clear on how the changes affect them.

Details of the new service can also be found on the council website at www.oldham.gov.uk/waste or by calling 0161 770 6644.

Author: Jude Gidney - Editor

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