Contaminated bins

Do you have the wrong items in your recycling bins? If so, this is classed as contamination.

Bins containing incorrect waste should not be placed out for collection until this waste has been removed.

How to deal with bin contamination

If you have moved into a property and there is an issue with contamination there are a number of things you can do.

• Remove the items or empty the bins yourself
• If you bag the extra waste perhaps think about taking it to a local waste recycling centre.

If you're a new council tenant

• Your bins should be left empty for you. If this is not the case, please contact us to request that your bins are emptied.

If you're renting privately

• Please approach your landlord. It is your landlord’s responsibility to ensure that when you move in to the property all your bins are useable.

If you're a landlord

As a landlord, you can pay a charge of £20 per bin for the council to empty your bins.

You will need to advise how many bins need emptying and ensure that they are left accessible for the crew.

• Pay for your black bin to be emptied
• Pay for your blue bin to be emptied
• Pay for your green bin to be emptied
• Pay for your brown bin to be emptied

As a last resort

• You can report your contaminated bin to Wigan Council and we will empty it on one occasion only. In doing so, we will place the household under s46 of the Environmental Protection Act, which means that if you put contaminated bins out in the future, you may face a fine and/or prosecution.
• To report a contaminated bin, login or register with MyAccount and select 'Report it'.