How to use a Recycling Centre

Who can use the Recycling Centres

If you live in Greater Manchester (Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside or Trafford) you can use any of our Recycling Centres free of charge for waste and recycling from your home. This includes waste from normal day-to-day household activities and DIY projects. You are not allowed to dispose of any business waste. This includes:

• Any waste produced by tradespeople or builders you hired to carry out improvements, repair or alterations to your home
• Any waste that comes from commercial activity
• Waste from premises which are used for business such as homes, offices, shops, warehouses

Number of times you can visit a Recycling Centre

The number of times you can visit Greater Manchester Suez Recycling Centres in a year, depends on the size of your vehicle:

• Cars and cars with single axle trailers – 52 visits a year

This includes: disability-adapted vehicles, SUVs, people carriers with multiple seats (under 2 metres high), bicycles, cargo bikes and bikes with a cargo trailer.

• Cars with a double axle trailer – 18 visits a year
• Vans (including pick-up trucks, estate vans, city vans and chassis vans) – 18 visits a year

If you are coming to dispose of household waste using these vehicles you will need to apply for a permit. Please visit the van and twin-axle permit page for more information.

Before you visit a Recycling Centre

Sort your waste and recycling 

There are over 22 containers at your local Recycling Centre for different types of waste. To help us recycle as much as possible, please separate your waste and recycling into different types:

• batteries
• fluorescent tubes
• electrical items
• print cartridges
• TVs and monitors
• hardcore and rubble – you are limited to the amount of rubble you can take in one visit. The limit is five (900mm x 600mm) rubble sacks per visit.
• timber and wood
• car batteries
• engine oil
• tyres
• scrap metal
• mixed recycling (aerosols, plastic bottles, drink cans, food tins, glass bottles, glass jars, aluminium foil and trays)
• paper and card
• garden waste
• media (reusable books, CDs and DVDs)
• cooking oil
• gas bottles
• household chemicals (paint)
• general waste

Visit our A-Z recycling guide for more information.

Check the height of your vehicle

To make it easier to recycle we have removed the 2 metre height restrictions at our recycling centres (except Spring Vale in Rochdale and Every Street in Bury).

• If you are using a van (including hire van), pick-up truck or vehicle with a twin axle trailer, you will need to apply for a van permit before bringing your waste to the recycling centre.
• This applies to household waste only– businesses and traders are still required to use the weighbridge to pay to dispose of their waste.
• If you are disposing of asbestos you will still need to take it to one of our weighbridges and PPE will be required.

If you are going to Every Street in Bury using a vehicle is over 2 metres high such as a hire vehicle, trailer or SUV you will need to use our waste transfer facilities for council and high-sided vehicles.

Check opening times

Opening times vary – please check before you visit.

Loading your vehicle

When you load your vehicle, use bags and boxes to separate different types of items so you can easily put them in the right container when you arrive at the Recycling Centre.

When you arrive at the Recycling Centre

Queuing

The Recycling Centres operate a one way system, expect queuing during busy periods.

Speed limit

The speed limit at all Recycling Centres is 5 miles per hour.

Parking

Reverse park in to the parking bays, put your handbrake and switch your engine off.

Personal belongings

Make sure you put your personal belongings somewhere safe, if you accidentally drop your keys, mobile phone or wallet in one of the containers, it is very difficult for staff to retrieve it for you.

Ask a member of staff

If you are unsure where your items go, please ask a member of staff who will be happy to help.

Leaving the Recycling Centre

Close your boot

Make sure you close all your doors including your boot to avoid damage to your vehicle.