Garden Waste FAQ
Wigan Council collects garden waste and clean brown cardboard from around two thirds of households across the borough. These properties have been issued with a green wheelie bin, which is collected every fortnight on the same day that the black bin and paper sacks are collected. There are changes to the collection dates at Christmas, and after Bank Holidays. To help you to ensure the green waste is not contaminated, here are some of the frequently raised issues that residents often ask us...
What can I put in my green bin for composting?
- Grass cuttings
- Hedge clippings
- Small branches
- Leaves, bark and twigs
- Weeds
- Flowers and plants
- Clean brown cardboard (no food packaging)
(top)
What can’t I put in my green bin?
- Bin liners, plastic bags or any other plastics
- Soil, rubble, bricks, stones or plant pots
- Wood or timber
- Any food waste like vegetable peelings
- Cooked foods or meats
- Any other rubbish, such as food packaging or nappies
(top)
Why can't I put food waste in?
Because of Government regulations introduced after the outbreak of Foot and Mouth disease we cannot accept food waste such as vegetable peelings, cooked foods and meats in the green bin. If they are found in your bin, we cannot empty it.
(top)
What is clean brown cardboard?
- Toilet roll inner tubes
- Kitchen roll inner tubes
- Corrugated cardboard packaging, such as new television or computer boxes
- Thick corrugated cardboard used to package large items like domestic appliances
We cannot take the thinner cereal box or pizza box types of cardboard. We cannot take any kind of cardboard that has been used as food packaging.
(top)
What types of cardboard can’t be included?
- Cereal packages
- Food packaging, such as pizza boxes
- Beer or cider cardboard packaging
- Cardboard boxes for toys
- Any type with print/photos/pictures on
(top)
Why can’t I put other types of cardboard with the garden waste like food packaging?
Because of government regulations introduced after the outbreak of foot and mouth disease, we cannot take any cardboard that has been used to package food.
(top)
Where can I recycle my other cardboard such as cereal packages and food packaging?
At any Household Waste Recycling Centre (see the link, above left) except Orrell.
(top)
What happens to the garden waste and clean brown cardboard once it has been collected? How does it get recycled?
The garden waste gets collected in a vehicle similar to a normal refuse vehicle. It is then transported to a central recycling facility where it is sorted and bulked up. The garden waste then gets transported to a reprocessor who screens the material and shreds it before it goes to a local farm. There it is composted and eventually spread over the farmer’s fields as a fertiliser. The compostable material gets fed back into the land.
(top)
Can I buy the compost from the council?
The soil conditioner produced at the end of the composting process is not produced to the same standards as compost you would buy from a garden centre. It is not suitable for use on gardens but is used as a soil conditioner on the farm where it is composted.
(top)
There's no garden waste collection in my area. What can I do to recycle?
Not all areas are covered by the scheme yet. For those properties not involved in the collections, or for those wanting to compost other materials, special discount home composter kits are available from the council's partners in the government's WRAP agency. Ring 0845 077 0757 or click the link above left for Garden Waste. Prices are from £8 for the 220 litre "Compost Converter", £10 for the 330 litre version and £20 for the 250 litre KOMPT box. All are made from 100% recycled material and prices include home delivery for Wigan Borough residents.
(top)
