Rochdale gives every household four bins: a dark green bin for general waste, a light green bin with a blue lid for mixed recycling, a blue bin for paper and card, and a brown bin that takes food and garden waste together. The council's pages do not give collection frequencies, so your own calendar is the only reliable way to know which bin is next.
Last checked against 9 sources (www.rochdale.gov.uk, www.legislation.gov.uk).
What goes in each bin
Dark green bin for general waste · General waste
Bin · Varies by area, so check your address
Yes please
All non-recyclable waste
Plastic bottle lids that come off easily
Foil or glitter-decorated wrapping paper, and cards with foil or glitter
Not in this one
Waste left beside the bin, which the council treats as fly-tipping
Batteries and electrical items, which can start fires and should go to a recycling centre or electrical recycling point
Rochdale has a transitional arrangement for weekly food waste. Rochdale Borough Council is listed in the schedule to the Environment Act 2021 (Commencement No. 9 and Transitional Provisions) Regulations 2024 with a separate food waste collection date of 1 April 2034. Until then its brown bin takes food, teabags and garden waste together, and the council supplies free compostable liners.
Check for a planned change to your collection first, then report a missed bin online. The council will not accept a report if you put the bin out after 7am, if it held incorrect materials or was too heavy, or if you left extra waste beside it. If you cannot report it, bring the bin back in, because the crews will not return until your next scheduled collection.
Put bins out before 7am on collection day. If they are not out when the crew visits, they are not collected until the next scheduled date. Face the handle towards the road, keep the lid down with all the waste inside, and leave the bin where it does not obstruct the highway.
Mixed recycling takes a wider range of plastics than before. From 14 October 2024 the council has accepted pots, tubs, trays (including black ones) and bottles in the light green bin. You can stack pots and tubs inside each other, or squash bottles, to fit more in.
Plastic bags, film, crisp packets, bread bags and pet food pouches are not collected at home. The council says most supermarkets have recycling points for soft plastics.
If a drinks bottle lid comes off easily, take it off and put it in the general waste bin. A lid that is attached to the bottle should be fastened securely before recycling.
Surplus mixed recycling can be left beside the mixed recycling bin in an open container where the contents can be seen. A small amount of dry, flattened cardboard can be left next to the blue bin. Anything left beside the dark green bin is treated as fly-tipping.
Free compostable caddy liners come as rolls with a yellow tag at the end. Tie the tag to your brown bin or street caddy, and the crew leaves a new roll if one is available. You can also collect a roll from a local library, or use the caddy without a liner. Do not use plastic bags.
Rochdale says the bins are collected on the same day as usual over bank holidays including Easter and Good Friday. It says there may be changes over Christmas and New Year, and as of 3 October 2026 it listed no other planned changes to the schedule.
Bin questions in Rochdale
How do I find my bin collection days in Rochdale?
Enter your postcode and select your address in the council's bin collection calendar. You can also download and print the calendar. If your postcode is not found, contact the council using the details on the page.
What time should bins be out in Rochdale?
Before 7am on your collection day. Bins that are not out when the crew arrives are not collected until the next scheduled date.
What changed for plastic recycling in Rochdale?
From 14 October 2024 the council has accepted a wider range of plastics in the light green mixed recycling bin: pots, tubs, trays (including black trays) and bottles, alongside glass, tins, cans, aerosols and foil.
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