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Wigan bin collection days

Wigan uses four bins with four colours: black for general waste, blue (or a white sack) for paper and card, brown for cans, glass and plastic, and green for garden and food waste together. The brown bin is unusually generous, taking soft plastic bags, wrapping and crisp packets, which most councils still send to the rubbish. Wigan is also one of the councils with a later date for separate food waste collections.

Last checked against 5 sources (www.wigan.gov.uk, www.legislation.gov.uk).

What goes in each bin

Black bin · General waste

Bin · Varies by area, so check your address

Yes please

  • Anything that is not allowed in the blue, brown or green bins
  • Nappies and incontinence pads
  • Dog foul and cat litter

Not in this one

  • Soil, rubble and building materials
  • Liquid waste, including paints and oils
  • Hazardous waste and prohibited items

Source: www.wigan.gov.uk (opens in a new tab), read

Blue bin or white sack · Paper and card

Bin

Yes please

  • Office paper, junk mail, catalogues, brochures and directories
  • Newspapers, magazines and envelopes
  • Greeting cards without glitter
  • Cardboard, printed or plain, and kitchen and toilet roll inner tubes

Not in this one

  • Nappies and incontinence pads
  • Food
  • Plastic bags, wrappers, trays, crisp packets and polystyrene
  • Hard back and paper back books and wallpaper
  • Food and drink cartons, including Tetra Pak, which go in the brown bin

Source: www.wigan.gov.uk (opens in a new tab), read

Brown bin · Mixed recycling

Bin

Yes please

  • Cans, tins, aerosols, aluminium foil and aluminium tubes
  • Glass bottles and jars
  • Plastic bottles with lids and triggers left on
  • Pots, tubs and trays such as yoghurt pots and margarine tubs
  • Plastic bags and wrapping, plastic films, bubble wrap, film lids and crisp packets
  • Milk and juice cartons and Tetra Pak
  • Toothpaste tubes, empty, and plant pots that are not black

Not in this one

  • Scrap metal, kitchenware and chemical containers
  • Batteries, vapes and electrical items
  • Pyrex, eye glass, drinking glasses and flat glass
  • Engine oil and antifreeze bottles
  • Coat hangers, toys, furniture and food
  • Nappies, cling film and pouches for pet food, drinks or cosmetics
  • Hosepipes, wires, sealant tubes and black plant pots

Source: www.wigan.gov.uk (opens in a new tab), read

Green bin · Garden waste

Bin

Yes please

  • Grass and leaves
  • Twigs and small branches less than 15cm in diameter

Not in this one

  • Cardboard and plastic bags
  • Large branches more than 15cm in diameter
  • Soil and rubble
  • Dog foul and cat litter

Source: www.wigan.gov.uk (opens in a new tab), read

Green bin or green caddy, with a silver kitchen caddy · Food waste

Caddy

Yes please

  • Bread and pastries
  • Egg shells and dairy, with no liquids
  • Meat and bones, raw or cooked, and fish
  • Fruit and vegetables
  • Teabags and coffee grounds
  • Leftover food, straight into the bin with no food waste bag needed

Not in this one

  • Food packaging
  • Liquid oils and fat
  • Liquid dairy products such as milk, yoghurt or cream

Source: www.wigan.gov.uk (opens in a new tab), read

Check your bin day

We can’t check Wigan addresses yet

Live bin day lookups for Wigan are planned. Until then, Wigan’s own page will show your collection day.

Find my bin day on www.wigan.gov.uk(opens in a new tab)

How often each bin is collected

Collection frequency by bin for Wigan
BinCollected
Black bin · General wasteVaries by area, so check your address

Food waste and the national recycling rules

Wigan has a transitional arrangement for weekly food waste. Every Wigan household has a small silver kitchen caddy and compostable liners, and food waste goes into the green bin together with garden waste. Wigan 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 2040.

Source: www.legislation.gov.uk (opens in a new tab), read

If your bin was missed

Check that your street is not on the council's missed streets list, which is updated at 5pm every collection day, that you put the bin out before 6.30am and that it does not carry a sticker for incorrect materials or weight. Then complete the online form; households with shared bins use a separate shared-property form. Report after 8pm on the collection day and within 48 hours of it. If you are outside that window the form will not submit, and you will need to put the bin out again before 6:30am on the Monday of the following week.

Source: www.wigan.gov.uk (opens in a new tab), read

Your nearest tip

Good to know in Wigan

  • The colours do not match the usual pattern. Brown is the main recycling bin for cans, glass and plastic, and blue is only for paper and card, so a household used to a blue recycling bin elsewhere needs to read the council's lists before putting items in.
  • Food and garden waste share the green bin. The council says to put food waste straight into the green bin with no bag needed, after collecting it in the silver kitchen caddy, and that the bin does not take cardboard or plastic bags.
  • Soft plastics are allowed in the brown bin. The council lists plastic bags and wrapping, plastic films, bubble wrap, film lids and crisp packets as allowed, but not cling film, pouches for pet food, drinks or cosmetics, or hosepipes and wires.
  • Cartons are a common slip. Milk and juice cartons and Tetra Pak go in the brown bin, and the blue bin lists food and drink cartons as not allowed.
  • Put bins at the edge of your property boundary by 6.30am on collection day and no earlier than 6pm the evening before, with the handles facing the road and the bin numbered. Bring them back inside the boundary by midnight on collection day.
  • The council asks for recycling to be placed in the bin loose, clean and free from liquid or food, and for cans and bottles to be squashed. It warns that batteries and anything containing one, including vapes, must not go in any kerbside bin.
  • Wigan has three household waste and recycling centres, and a permit is needed to take household waste in a vehicle other than a car. Each household can have 12 permits in a 12 month period.

Bin questions in Wigan

What goes in the brown bin in Wigan?

Cans, tins, aerosols, foil, glass bottles and jars, plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays, soft plastic bags and wrapping, crisp packets and cartons. Batteries, vapes, Pyrex, drinking glasses and electrical items are not allowed.

What time do I put my bin out in Wigan?

Put it at the edge of your property boundary by 6.30am on collection day, but no earlier than 6pm the evening before. Bring it back inside the boundary by midnight.

How long do I have to report a missed bin in Wigan?

Report it after 8pm on the day of collection and within 48 hours. Check the missed streets list after 5pm first, because if your street is on it you do not need to report.

Where does food waste go in Wigan?

Into the green bin, along with garden waste, using the small silver kitchen caddy indoors. Wigan is on the list of councils with a later date, 1 April 2040, for a separate food waste collection.

Guides that may help

Nearby councils