Recycling rules are a lot like navigating public transport on a hangover – confusing, frustrating, and a little bit overwhelming. But we’re here to change that! We’ve laid out what you can and can’t recycle, as well as some general bin rules that may have been lost in translation.
According to Oldham Council:
Here’s what you CAN put into your recycling bins:
Blue bin:
- • Paper and card
- • Rinsed food and drink cartons (tetra packs)
- • Clean egg cartons
- • Cardboard
- • Card packaging
- • Newspapers, magazines, brochures, envelopes and junk mail
Brown bin:
- • Plastic bottles with the lids removed
- • Rinsed cleaning products and shampoo bottles
- • Rinsed food tins
- • Tin foil
- • Drink cans
- • Aerosols
- • Glass jars and bottles (please remove lids)
Green bin:
- • Food and garden waste (no soil, gravel, stones or wood)
- • Tea bags and coffee grounds
- • Fruit and vegetables
- • Grass, flowers, hedge and plant cuttings
- • Out of date food (no packaging)
- • Meat and bones (both cooked and uncooked)
- • Bread and pastries
- • Dairy (like cheese) and eggshells
- • All cooked and uncooked food
Here’s what CANNOT go into your recycling bins:
Brown bin:
- Bottle lids
Green bin:
- Soil
- Gravel
- Stones
- Wood
- Packaging
As well, your council has a few extra notes to keep in mind when sorting out your waste.
Remember that only bottles are allowed in your brown bin when sorting out your plastic. Any other type of plastic should be popped into your grey bin.
Ever think to yourself, ‘I think I’m going to need a bigger bin?’ You can order a bigger recycling bin from the council, so you won’t be drowning in extra recycling.
Since your council only takes what’s in your bin, any extra recycling needs to be taken to your local tip.
For more of Oldham Council’s recycling details, just follow the link here.
Where does it all go?
In Oldham, your paper and card are taken to a facility where it’s sorted and graded (but not into Hogwarts houses). It’s then transported to a reprocessing facility that recycles it into new products. According to Recycle for Greater Manchester, these new products are then sold – with 51% of recycled paper and card sold to UK markets and 7% sold to EU markets. The rest goes to other world markets outside of the EU.
Oldham’s mixed recycling is taken to a Materials Recovery Facility in Manchester. There, your plastic bottles, tins, glass jars, and drink cans are all separated. It’s then all put together and ready for the recycling process. 66% of recycled plastic bottles are then sold to UK markets, and 33% are sold to EU markets. 100% of your glass bottles, jars, aerosol cans, food cans, drink cans, and foil were then sold to UK markets (Recycle for Greater Manchester).
All your food and garden waste is taken to an in-vessel composting facility in the UK. What’s that? It’s basically one huge compost that can break down everything in just six weeks. The compost is then used in the UK as a soil improver.
If you’d like to learn more about where your recycling goes, just follow the link here.
We hope this helps uncomplicate your local recycling rules and makes it easier to sort through your waste. We know recycling isn’t the answer to the waste crisis, but it’s a step in the right direction. Happy recycling!
*This information is up to date as of 16th March 2022.
