Slim your bin for free

Households throughout the borough are being urged to slim their grey bin for free to help make Bury a greener place in 2014. 

The offer is being made by Bury Council as part of a renewed drive to boost Bury’s recycling rate to 50% or more. 

The majority of households currently have a full-size (240-litre) grey bin for their waste that can’t be recycled. For many, this is larger than it needs to be when used alongside the blue, green and brown recycling bins. As a result, residents are being given the option to swap for free from a full-size grey bin to a new slightly smaller (140-litre) bin. 

Although the council is providing 140-litre grey bins free of charge, for a full-size grey bin there is a charge of £30 per household. Blue, green and brown recycling bins are also all provided free of charge. 

Councillor Mike Connolly, leader of Bury Council, said: “We are encouraging as many households as we can to downsize their rubbish bin.  By making the switch, residents will get a smart new bin for free, which is also more compact, takes up less space and is easier to move around.

“I slimmed my bin during October last year and in my household we’ve never looked back. We didn’t even have any problems over Christmas and New Year - we actually found out that most of our extra waste was recyclable. 

“I have to admit that having a smaller bin has caused us to focus more on our recycling habits, but we view this as a positive rather than a negative.  When it comes down to it, love it or hate it, recycling is here to stay which is why I can’t emphasise enough that recycling is the responsibility of us all, that it does help the environment and it does save money. Every household and every item really does count!

“I’ve already slimmed my bin and I hope many more residents will opt to slim theirs too. Last year, 90% of residents requesting a new grey bin did go for the smaller bin. So let’s all start 2014 as we mean to go on - recycle more and keep more waste out of landfill.”

Currently, Bury recycles around 46% of its household waste and is third best at recycling across Greater Manchester. This is a significant improvement from 2010 when Bury was next to last at nearly 28%. The challenge now is to match the performance being achieved in other areas: Stockport and Trafford, for example, already recycle around 60%. 

To downsize a rubbish bin or to request recycling bins free of charge, go to www.bury.gov.uk/requestabin or phone 0161 253 5353. More information about recycling is available at www.bury.gov.uk/recycling or on 0161 253 5555.

ENDS

Press release issued: 17 January 2014.

Picture attached:Councillor Mike Connolly (left) with his new slimmer bin and Ian Rogers, recycling awareness officer.