From April 2007 to April 2008, residents in Wigan Borough recycled:
- 2796 tonnes of glass
- 2479 tonnes of mixed metals
- 8614 tonnes of paper
- 145 tonnes of plastic
- 6547 tonnes of wood
The recycling rate in this period was over 26%, of which over 10% was composted.
All these materials have been saved from costly landfill thanks to residents' recycling efforts using the council's doorstep collection schemes and the roadside recycling points.
In five years, the amount of waste being recycled in our borough has jumped from just four per cent to around 25 per cent. The council has provided more and more services and recycling points to make it easier for everyone to easily recycle materials from their home. Collections for "dry recyclables" (glass, cans and plastics) began for many residents in early 2008 and green waste and paper collections are now widespread across the borough. And with a "bring" site within a mile of most homes, alongside the shops where people buy new bottles and cans, it has never been easier to recycle.
Some facts:
- Wigan Borough residents produce over 159,800 tonnes of household waste each year.
- The typical bin in Greater Manchester contains 25% paper and card (so please fill your paper recycling sack!).
- Recycling a one metre high stack of newspaper saves one tree from being cut down to make paper.
Do more
You can add more to our recycling rates by adding items to your trips to the recycling centres or brown bins. Aerosols account for 4% of metals used in the UK each year - that's 4,500 tonnes of high grade aluminium available from recycled aerosols every twelve months. But some 25,000 tonnes still go to landfill because many people don't realise that they can put their empty spray cans into the can recycling banks or brown bins alongside their old bean cans and tin foil. Please don't squash or pierce empty aerosols, and remove the plastic caps if you can.
