Council thanks residents for their co-operation in alternate weekly collections

Date published: 04 July 2007

It has been a year since alternate weekly collections were introduced in those parts of Rochdale with a Friday collection.

Over 3,000 tons of glass, cans, plastic bottles, paper and cardboard have been collected in a year - the weight of 375 double-decker buses!

Residents in these areas have been the pioneers of the Council's bid to recycle more of the waste we collect and to all residents the Council would like to offer a massive thank you.

The efforts of those has meant that the Council has surpassed its Government target of recycling 20% of all the waste it collects (the total figure being 21.3%). The Council aims to make this 30% by 2010.

Now to make recycling even easier the Council are trying to make the system simpler by making it possible for residents to mix cardboard and paper.

Currently residents have an orange bag for cardboard and a blue bag for paper. From July, residents will be asked to mix both paper and cardboard in the same bag; gradually the orange bags will be phased out and replaced with a new style of blue bag.

Residents will be able to put newspapers, junk mail, greeting cards, magazines, letters, paper and shredded paper, envelopes, flattened cardboard, Yellow Pages and telephone directories and packaging.

People should not put any plastic or polystyrene packing in either of the bags and are asked to make sure that all cardboard boxes are flattened and if you have bigger boxes that won't fit into the bag, just flatten them and leave them tidily next to your recycling bin; waste crews will collect them.

It will take a little time to give everyone their new blue bag so until residents get one they can continue to use the orange bag.

If one of your bags is damaged or missing, please call 0845 226 1800, or email recycling@rochdale.gov.uk to get a replacement.