What happens to your recycling?
• Across Greater Manchester we ensure your efforts in sorting your waste for recycling are put to good use.
• Long term and secure markets have been developed to ensure your recycled materials are sent to be made into new products.
• Our aim is to send as much of the material that you recycle to a local reprocessor as possible.
• However, your recycled materials can be sent within the UK, Europe or further afield, and this depends on market demand for materials, so it is constantly changing.
• Our Contractor Viridor Laing (Greater Manchester) Limited (VLGM) utilise approved and secure markets so you can have every confidence that your recycled material is being put to good use.
• The materials you recycle are sorted into types (e.g. glass, cans, plastics bottles) so mixed waste is never transported for recycling.
• High quality recycling is extremely important and this is where your input is needed to ensure that you only put what we ask for into your recycling containers.
Recycling Mixed Paper and Card. Find out more here
Glass Bottles and Jars. Find out more here
Food and Drinks Cans (including Foil) Find out more here
Your food and drinks cans are separated in Greater Manchester by a mechanical sorting process from the other materials that are collected for recycling (glass bottles and jars and plastic bottles). The aluminium and steel is baled separately and then transported in large quantities and then sent to a reprocessor. 100% of the food and drinks cans you recycle are made into new products in the UK. The aluminium or steel will be cleaned and melted down to be used again. This can be for anything from cars and planes to fridge parts as well as for new food and drinks cans.
Recycling Plastic Bottles. Find out more here
Recycling Garden and Food Waste. Find out more here
To view a more detailed version of what happens to you recycling, please visit the interactive map
