DIRECTORATE OF PLACE
Ian Saxon
Assistant Executive Director
HAND DELIVERED
Environmental Services
Council Offices, Wellington Road
Ashton-under-Lyne, Tameside, OL6 6DL
www.tameside.gov.uk/recycling
twitter: @tmbc_waste
Telephone 0161 342 3941
January 2015
Dear Resident
Important changes to your refuse collection service
I wrote to you in December to introduce the Bin Swap scheme which we are now ready to roll out
in your area. Please leave your green and black bins out for collection on your usual
collection day of the week commencing 12 January 2015. Once emptied you can then start
putting the right items in the right bin. There will be no brown bin collections during this week.
Remember – once your bins have been emptied during the week of 12 January, your black
bin will be used to recycle glass, plastics and tin cans etc. Only waste that cannot be
recycled in any of your other bins should be placed in the green bin – and these contents
go to landfill at a cost of £300 per tonne so it’s never been more important to put the right
thing in the right bin.
The bin swap collections begin in your area on your usual day of collection the week commencing
19 January. Your collection day will not change. The amount of waste we collect from your
property will not change. The frequency of your collections will not change. Bin swap simply
involves changing the use of two of your bins to give you greater recycling capacity.
We are keen to hear your views but would encourage you to try bin swap for a few weeks first.
Our pilot areas showed that in the main initial concerns were about the size of the new landfill bin.
By simply putting the right thing in the right bin and recycling more we were able to quickly resolve
these concerns. In some exceptional circumstances – very large families or families with complex
medical needs for example, we were able to work together to find a solution. You can access the
survey online at www.tameside.gov.uk/binswap/survey.
We have produced a brief video outlining our reasons for introducing bin swap – please do take a
few minutes to watch it at www.tameside.gov.uk/binswap. Thank you for your assistance in
working with the Council to protect vital frontline services.
Yours sincerely
Ian Saxon, Assistant
Executive Director – Environmental Services
Key points to remember

Are you ready to swap? Do you have all your recycling bins? You can order blue, brown
or black bins online at www.tameside.gov.uk/recycling or by contacting us using the details
at the top of this letter.

Watch our short video at www.tameside.gov.uk/binswap which explains all you need to
know about bin swap.

Use the enclosed stickers to help you remember what to put in each bin.

Present your green and black bins out for collection on your usual day of collection week
commencing 12 January. There will be no brown bin collections during this week.

Once both bins have been emptied use your black bin to recycle glass, plastics and tin
cans. Use your green bin for waste that cannot be recycled and must go to landfill.

Take a look at the enclosed leaflet which explains what goes in each bin and has some
handy frequently asked questions at the back.

Alternatively let us know what you think at www.tameside.gov.uk/binswap/survey.

Also find enclosed a calendar showing your collection dates – alternatively why not
download our free app? You get an alert to remind you what bins to put out for collection
and can report any missed bins. Free from the Apple store or the Google Play Store.
By working together and putting the right
thing in the right bin we can save
£3million a year
THANK YOU FOR RECYCLING!