How to dispose of rubbish in Manchester

2. Manchester council bulky waste collection service

Manchester City Council offers a bulky waste collection service for items that don’t fit in your bins. They can collect up to 6 items per booking (details further down). The council can collect generally larger items like furniture, white goods, appliances with exceptions. They cannot collect:

Cost of the collection service & more details

Manchester council offers one free collection of up to 3 items a year (1st April - 31st March). An additional 3 items can be added to your 3 free items, for a charge of £27. 

If you have already had your free yearly collection, the prices are:

• £27 up to 3 items
• £54 up to 6 items

Concessions: apart from 1 free yearly collection, none available.

Some more details:

• Household waste only - businesses can’t use the council service
• The council can’t come inside your property - items must be put as close to your bin collection point as possible
• Items like cupboards and fridges must be empty (apart from their own fixtures)
• The council cannot take items that are dangerous to lift or could damage a vehicle
• They will not accept items too big or heavy for 2 people to love and lift safely

To book your collection, click here. You will need to set up an account and can only use the service with an address covered by Manchester City Council.

3. Licensed man and van waste collectors

One of the alternatives to the council service is hiring a licensed man & van rubbish collector. There are a few advantages to this option. They can usually respond faster than the council and can collect all waste, including most of the council’s prohibited items. Man & van can also collect waste from inside your property. This helps if you can’t lift or move items outside yourself. 

It's essential to ask any waste carrier to hire if they have a license from the Environment Agency and valid public liability insurance. Avoid cowboy collectors who will fly tip your waste!

Cheapest licensed rubbish removal service in Manchester

Find a local, fully licensed waste removal business using the LoveJunk marketplace. You can find the cheapest price by simply posting a picture of your unwanted stuff and choosing from the no obligation quotes you receive. It's free to receive quotes, you pay the waste carrier securely online with no need to provide cash and you'll get full documentation that your waste was responsibly disposed of. No fly tipping guaranteed, and LoveJunk is widely recommended by councils.

Examples of man & van rubbish removal prices in Manchester

Exact price of rubbish removal depends on the type and amount of waste you have, as well as the date and time you want it collected. Have a look at LoveJunk's rubbish removal prices tool to see the latest jobs from all over the country. Below we've included some example jobs from Manchester.

4. Skip hire Manchester

Skips are useful if you have messy waste or rubble to dispose of. Unlike man & van collectors, though, you'll need to load the skip yourself. Skip prices are fixed so it doesn't matter how full or empty the skip is, you'll pay the same. It's usually much more expensive to hire a skip because of additional permit and license fees. 

Manchester skip hire companies

We recommend local licensed companies when looking to hire a skip. Here are some of the main skip hire companies operating in Manchester:

Skip hire prices in Manchester

Here are the typical skip hire prices (including VAT) for a mixed general waste skip in Manchester. Prices reflect a hire period of 14 days. They do not include the cost of necessary skip permits or parking bay suspensions.

Builder skip: 6-8 cubic yard skip @ £270-£280

Maxi skip: 10-12 cubic yard skip @ £420

Skip Permits and Bay Suspensions

To place a skip on the road or in a parking bay (as opposed to on your drive, for example), you need a skip permit license and/ or a controlled parking zone (CPZ) suspension permit. It is the responsibility of the skip company you hire to obtain these permits. Just be aware of the extra expense it will cost you. 

Skip license Manchester: £34 up to 7 days

CPZ Bay Suspension in Manchester: £34 up to 7 days

5. Manchester recycling centres

There are 20 recycling centres in Greater Manchester. You must be a resident in Manchester and you do not need to book an appointment to visit any of the recycling centres. Here are their addresses:

• Altrincham - Woodhouse Lane, WA14 5TB
• Bolton - Salford Road, BL5 1DG
• (Central) Bolton - Hurtswood Court, BL3 2NH
• Bredbury - Bredbury Parkway, SK6 2SN
• Bury - Every Street, BL9 5BE
• Cheadle Hulme - Adswood Road, SK8 5QY
• Clifton - Lumns Lane, M27 8LN
• Droylsden - Ash Road, M43 6QU
• Eccles - Boysnope Wharf, M30 7RH
• Failsworth - Reliance Street, M40 3EZ
• Levenshulme - Sandfold Lane, M19 3BJ
• Marple - Rose Hill, SK6 6HU
• Middleton - Spring Vale, M24 2HR
• Oldham - Arkwright Street, OL9 9LZ
• Radcliffe - Cemetery Road, M26 4FT
• Rochdale - Chichester Street, OL16 2AU
• Salford - Cobden Street, M6 6NA - see our guide to Cobden Street Recycling centre here.
• Sharston - Longley Lane, M22 4RQ - read our guide to Longley Lane Recycling Centre here.
• Stalybridge - Bayley Street, SK15 1PZ
• Stretford - Chester Road, M32 9AU

If you are a resident in Greater Manchester and want to find your closest recycling centre, see here. We've written a comprehensive Manchester Recycling Centre guide with restrictions, permits, hours and more in full detail.

Map of Manchester tips

Finally,

Thank you for reading! We hope you found our how to dispose of rubbish in Manchester guide useful. For further reading, why not take a look at our How to Dispose of Rubbish guide, which has all sorts of specific waste advice and top tips for saving money.