Small Brown Bin Registration Form
To register for a small (120 litre) brown bin please fill in the form below.
You will need to provide your name, address, postcode and reference number supplied with your leaflet.
Apply for a brown bin online
Please note: You must register before the deadline date on your leaflet to recieve a small bin.
Small Brown Bin Dimensions
Click the link below to check out the size of the smaller bin
Download Bin Dimensions (.pdf, 20kb)
The Service
Brown bins are collected every two weeks, along with garden waste and paper collections. This is a new service which the council will expand to cover all suitable properties by the end of 2010. The service works in the same way as other bin collections; residents should bring their bin to the edge of their property for 7am on their collection day and return it once it has been emptied.
What happens to your recyclables?
All the contents are taken to our main recycling centre in Ince and then transferred to a processing plant in Blackburn (Greenstar) where the mixed materials are separated (see link to see it all in action).
Plastics are taken to a company in the South of England where they are melted down into their respective types (1 or 2) and re-moulded into new plastic bottles or plastic products such as garden tables etc
Glass is crushed and sent to a local company, it is then used in road building/construction
Cans are sent to companies around the North West where they are melted down to produce things such as cars, computer parts, machinery and new cans.
Greenstar have produced a short video to show you what happens to the items you place in your bin, you can view this on the Greenstar website (external link)
What can I place in my brown bin?
Here is a list of what we can accept in the brown bins. Please rinse out all food containers before putting them in the bin.
Glass
Yes please:
- Glass bottles - any colour or type
- Glass jars - any colour or type
No thanks:
We can not accept any other types of glass in the brown bin, such as:
- Plate glass
- Oven / kitchen ware, drinking glasses
- Window glass or windscreens
- Glass ash trays
- Mirrors
- Light bulbs / fluorescent tubes
- Spectacles – you can donate them to charity or please take these back to the shop outlets. More information about spectacles recycling here.
Plastic
Yes please:
- Plastic bottles such as:
- Fizzy drink bottles
- Mineral water bottles
- Cooking oil bottles
- Plastic milk bottles
- Food sauce bottles
- Fruit juice and cordial bottles (not cartons)
- Fabric conditioner bottles
- Washing up liquid bottles
- Cleaning liquid bottles
- Shampoo and conditioner bottles
- Margarine/butter and yoghurt pots
- Take away plastic trays
- Sandwich cases
- Smoothie bottles
- Bleach bottles (please ensure these are rinsed out well)
No thanks:
- Plastic bags
- Plastic film
- Any cartons – such as milk / juice
- Tetra pak cartons (these can be taken to many HWRCs)
- Plastic plant pot tubs/trays
- Plastic piping
- Polystyrene
- Cling film
Cans
Yes please:
- Empty aerosols cans – no spray paints please
- Food and drink cans or tins
- Pet food cans
- Metal bottle tops
- Foil: takeaway foil containers, pie foil containers, milk bottle tops - please clean and crunch into a ball, thank you.
No thanks:
- Foil sweet wrappers
- Oil drums
- Paint tins
- Car batteries
- Pet food sachets
- Crisp packets
Please don't put any other kind of rubbish into your brown bin and remember not to over fill it.
We recommend that you put your house number on your brown bin so it isn't returned to another property in error.
Thank you for supporting recycling in Wigan Borough.
