Two Greater Manchester councils now charge households extra to collect their green bins — but there have been plans for more.

Stockport and Trafford councils brought the charges in this spring, meaning residents who want their garden waste collected need to fork out extra.

Green bin permits came into effect in Stockport from March 31, costing £59 for a permit that runs until March 31, 2026. Trafford council's permits will be needed from June 1, costing £45 online and £50 over the phone.

They weren't the only authorities that planned to bring in a 'garden tax' this year. Bolton council was set to follow with its own £45 charge for garden waste permits.

But the plan was canned after the council had an unexpectedly-good grant from the government, giving the town hall £3m extra.

The waste from nine of Greater Manchester's 10 boroughs is processed together, so residents across Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Tameside, Stockport, Trafford, and Salford put the same items in the same recycling bins.

What could be recycled in the plastic bins was expanded last year. Previously, only plastic bottles could be recycled at home.

Now plastic pots, like yoghurts, soup, and cosmetics; plastic tubs, like margarine, laundry powder, and chocolates; and plastic trays, including black plastic trays, for raw and cooked meat and fruit and veg punnets can now be recycled.

However, colours of each bins can vary hugely across Greater Manchester. 

Blue seems to be the colour for paper and card, but Rochdale has two blue bins. The second one, with a green lid, is for mixed recycling.

That bin — which takes in plastics and bottles, usually — is black in some places, but black in Manchester itself. Green is often the colour of food or garden waste, but in Salford they can be black with a pink lid.

Differences in colours and if you pay for garden collections are not the only discrepancy between rubbish collections in Greater Manchester, though. Collection frequencies vary, as do additional charges for new bins.

Stockport's bin charges

As mentioned, Stockport's controversial £59 'garden waste permits' were implemented from 31 March. The permit lasts until March 31, 2026, and is discounted to £39 for people getting council tax support.

But it is not knocked-down if residents buy it later in the year — it's £59 if you bought it on March 31 for 365 days, and £59 if you buy it on March 30 next year for just one day. Everyone will need to renew their permits next spring, too.

Permits can take up to ten days to arrive, and need to be stuck below the green bin handles when they arrive. Each permit will have an address on, and garden waste will only be collected from green bins with a valid permit.

However, food waste will continue to be collected from green bins for free each week, without needing a permit. The collection day will stay the same as it is now.

If you have a permit, your green bin will be collected every week. Black general waste bins are collected twice or thrice a month, and the blue paper recycling bin and brown mixed recycling bins are collect once a month.

Replacement bins cost £25 each, and food caddies are £10 — but you can get a full set for £75. Fees don't stop with bulky collections, as one bulky item costs £30 to pick up, two items are £50, and three to eight items cost £80.

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