Bins and recycling in Altrincham

Trafford Council collects household waste across Altrincham. This guide covers the bin colours and how often they are emptied, what goes where, the garden waste charge and the nearest tip. Your own collection day is personal to your address, so use the council’s checker rather than a date printed here.

Sources reviewed 4 November 2026 · Collection rules and charges change; check Trafford Council and the signs on your bin.

Your collection day

Find your bin day

Collection days differ street by street, so this guide does not list them. Enter your postcode on Trafford Council’s checker to see your next collections, and download a calendar of dates if you want them on your phone.

Check your bin day Christmas and bank holiday changes

How often bins are emptied

Trafford Council’s household collections run on this cycle. Your day within the cycle depends on your address.

Trafford bin colours, what each is for, and how often it is collected
Bin	What it is for	How often
Grey bin	General waste you cannot recycle	Every two weeks
Black bin	Mixed recycling: glass, cans, foil, pots, tubs and trays	Every four weeks
Blue bin	Paper and card	Every four weeks
Green bin or caddy	Food waste; garden waste only with a paid subscription	Every week

Trafford will not collect bags or extra waste left beside a bin, and may leave a recycling bin unemptied if it contains the wrong items. Extra waste goes to a recycling centre.

What goes where

The short version, taken from Trafford Council’s own bin pages. Rinse containers first.

Grey bin

General waste

Every 2 weeks

Put in

Other plastic packaging, such as crisp packets
Plastic bags and polystyrene
Nappies, sanitary products, tissues and wet wipes
Cotton wool and makeup pads

Keep out

Rubble and asbestos
Electrical goods
Paint cans

Trafford’s grey bin page

Black bin

Mixed recycling

Every 4 weeks

Put in

Glass bottles and jars, lids off
Cans, empty aerosols, foil and foil trays
Bottle-shaped plastics, lids off
Pots, tubs and trays

Keep out

Plastic bags, soft and hard plastics
Electrical items
Paint tins and gas bottles

Trafford’s black bin page

Blue bin

Paper & card

Every 4 weeks

Put in

Paper, newspapers, magazines and books
Cardboard and card packaging
Food and drink cartons
Envelopes, junk mail and greetings cards

Keep out

Plastic bags and wrapping film
Polystyrene
Glass and cans
Food waste and paper towels

Trafford’s blue bin page

Green bin or caddy

Food & garden

Every week

Put in

Food waste, including meat, fish, dairy, bread and leftovers
Tea bags and coffee grounds
Cut flowers, house plants and pet bedding
Garden waste only with a subscription: grass, leaves, hedge clippings and twigs

Keep out

Liquids, plastic bags and packaging
Glass, turf and ash
Soil, stone and dog or cat waste

Trafford’s green bin or caddy page

Full Trafford guide A–Z of specific items

Garden waste

Garden waste is an optional paid add-on. Food waste is collected free of charge either way.

Cost: £50 per bin for the 2026–27 service year, whatever the bin size. A £5 discount applies when you subscribe online, and extra bins bought at the same time are £45.
Service year: 1 June to 31 May. Subscribing part-way through still costs the full annual charge.
Permit: You receive a sticker by post, usually within 10 working days. Attach it to the back of the green bin, under the handles, before putting garden waste out.
Without a permit: Trafford will not empty a green bin that contains garden waste. The bin is not removed, and you can still use it for food waste.

If you would rather not subscribe

You can compost at home, take garden waste to a recycling centre, or arrange a private collection. Green bin collections also pause for one week over Christmas.

Subscribe to garden waste

Trafford also takes subscriptions by phone on 0333 003 5865, Monday to Friday, 9am–5pm.

Trafford’s garden waste page

Woodhouse Lane recycling centre

Altrincham’s nearest household waste recycling centre, run by Recycle for Greater Manchester. Use it for extra rubbish and recycling the bins cannot take.

Where: Off Sinderland Road, Altrincham, WA14 5TB.
Opening hours: Monday to Sunday, 8am–6pm. Closed Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Check the Recycle for Greater Manchester page before a summer visit, in case seasonal hours have been extended.
Who can use it: Households in Greater Manchester, including Trafford, free of charge. Wigan residents and those outside Greater Manchester need their own council’s sites.
Larger vehicles: Vans, hire vans, pick-up trucks and vehicles towing a twin-axle trailer need a permit. Apply at least two working days before your first visit.
On site: Sort your load before you arrive — crews check it at the gate. No trade or business waste.

Before you go

Check the Recycle for Greater Manchester page for the latest hours, vehicle rules and any site restrictions on the day.

The other nearby site is Chester Road, Stretford.

Putting your bins out

Out by 6:30am

On your collection day — and back in within 48 hours.

Edge of your property

Or your designated collection point, clear of the pavement and road.

Lid fully closed

No overflowing waste.

No bags beside the bin

Trafford will not collect side waste — take extras to a recycling centre.

Assisted collections

If you find it hard to move your bin, ask Trafford about help.

Bank holidays and Christmas change collection days. Trafford publishes a revised schedule each year rather than a fixed rule, so check the festive schedule before relying on your usual day.

Trafford’s presentation rules Assisted collections Christmas and New Year schedule

Sources

Parking in Altrincham