An email alert service will be run by Bury Council to help residents get used to their new bin collection dates.

People can sign up to receive reminders the day before and be told which colour bins need to be put out for emptying the following day.

Due to alterations to household waste collection routes, officials say some residents will find there could be a delay between their scheduled pick-up days, in which case extra one-off collections will be made.

The new rota comes into force in the second week in October, and information packs and calendars are being delivered to doorsteps.

Residents are encouraged to prepare for the changes by requesting:

  • Free recycling bins (blue for mixed recycling, green for paper and cardboard, or brown for food and garden waste)
  • A free kitchen caddy and free compostable liners
  • A free full-size grey bin (if you have a small grey bin and will need extra space)
  • An extra grey bin (if you have a large family with extra waste that cannott be recycled, eg, disposable nappies).

Cllr Tony Isherwood, cabinet member for the environment, said: “We know that many people throughout Bury already help us by being good recyclers and we thank them.

"But these changes are necessary if we are to recycle more and save money that can help protect other public services.

“Everything our residents need for recycling we provide free of charge, so if you don’t have all the bins and don’t have a kitchen caddy or compostable liners, please put your request in now.

“We’re also keen to help larger families or other households that may have a lot of extra waste they can’t recycle, so do get in touch if you think you’re not going to be able to cope when the new service comes in.

“Studies show it’s possible to recycle around 75 per cent and we know that other areas in Greater Manchester already recycle more than 60 per cent; so, with people’s support, we can do more here in Bury to reach these targets.”

The main changes will be: grey bin collections switched to three-weekly from two-weekly; blue and green recycling bin collections will switch to three-weekly from four-weekly; and brown bin collections will remain once every two weeks.

Question-and-answer sessions attended by the council’s recycling and awareness team will also take place on:

  • Tuesday – Bury Town Hall main reception from 9am to 4pm.
  • Wednesday, October 8, – Asda in Spring Street, Bury, from 10am to 3pm.
  • Thursday, October 9, – Aldi in Bury New Road, Prestwich, from 10am to 5pm.

To sign-up for email reminders and alerts: go to bury.gov.uk/bincollections.

To request bins: visit bury.gov.uk/requestabin or bury.gov.uk/requestextrabin.

A petition lodged against changes to the bin collection system which scollected 3,318 signatures was not debated by Bury councillors — because the man who set it up did not attend a meeting.

Under council rules, petitions which receive more than 2,500 signatures trigger a debate at a meeting of full council.

However, because Daniel Barkess, of North Street, Radcliffe, did not attend the last full council meeting, the debate was not held.