Recycling rules for Oldham
Based on Oldham published guidance · Last verified October 2026
Under Simpler Recycling, councils across England are standardising collections. Here's what currently goes in each bin in Oldham.
Search what goes in your bins →Quick answers for Oldham
Polystyrene: Usually general waste (UK-wide position)UK-wide, not council-specific
Across the UK, polystyrene is rarely collected at the kerbside and usually belongs in general waste. Oldham's published guidance we hold doesn't list it.
Glass bottles and jars: Goes in your recycling bin
Brown bin.
Food waste: Oldham has a separate food waste collection
Takes tea bags and coffee grounds, fruit and vegetables, out of date food and more.
Tins and cans: Goes in your recycling bin
Brown bin.
Aerosols: Goes in your recycling bin
Brown bin.
Your bins in Oldham, by colour
Container colours as published by Oldham. Some homes get a different container. See the notes.
Blue bin
Paper and cardboard
Blue is the paper and card colour in 14 of the 28 councils with a checked paper and card colour.
Brown bin
Plastics, glass and metal
Brown is the recycling colour in 8 of the 66 councils with a checked recycling colour.
Grey bin
General rubbish
Grey is the general rubbish colour in 19 of the 78 councils with a checked general rubbish colour.
What goes in each bin
Recycling
Accepted
Brown bin – plastics, glass and metal:
- Plastic pots · Brown bin
- Plastic tubs · Brown bin
- Plastic trays including black plastic trays · Brown bin
- Plastic bottles · Brown bin
- Glass bottles and jars · Brown bin
- Food tins and drink cans · Brown bin
- Aerosols · Brown bin
- Foil · Brown bin
- Foil containers · Brown bin
Not accepted
Brown bin – plastics, glass and metal:
- Plastic film, carrier bags, crisp packets, pet food pouches
Tips (4)
Brown bin – plastics, glass and metal:
- • All items must be clean and empty of any food or drink
- • Aerosols: Put these in your brown bin
- • Plastic bottles: Put these in your brown bin
- • Tin foil and foil food trays: Put these in your brown bin
Food Waste
Accepted
Green bin – food and garden waste:
- Tea bags and coffee grounds
- Fruit and vegetables
- Out of date food · No packaging
- Meat and bones (cooked and uncooked)
- Breads and pastries
- Dairy and egg shells
- All cooked and uncooked food
Not accepted
- Newspaper and plastic bags, including 'biodegradable' ones
We don't have checked garden waste guidance for Oldham yet.
See Oldham's own guidancePaper and card go in the blue bin (see your bins by colour). We don't have a checked list of what goes in it yet.
See Oldham's own guidanceHow Oldham compares
- Paper and card have their own container in Oldham, as in 53 of the 182 councils we have checked.
Next door
In Rochdale the recycling bin is green (brown here) and the general rubbish bin green (grey here).
In Tameside the recycling bin is black (brown here).
In Kirklees the recycling bin is green (brown here). Oldham collects food waste separately; Kirklees says it does not. Foil goes in the recycling in Oldham but not in Kirklees.
Neighbouring councils we have checked: High Peak, Manchester, Rochdale, Tameside, Kirklees.
When are bins collected in Oldham?
This page covers what goes in each bin. Collection days are set by the council and vary by street. See how to find your bin collection day, or browse streets by postcode to see schedules your neighbours have added.
Check with the council over bank holidays. See the council’s page →
In Oldham’s own words: “Your grey bin is collected every three weeks because households in Oldham also have access to recycling collections.”
No streets in Oldham on BinBosh yet: be the first to add yours, and your neighbours can adopt it instead of setting up their own.
How we checked this page
We read 3 pages of Oldham’s website on 29 October 2026 and checked each of the 27 facts on this page against the council’s own words before publishing it.
Source: Oldham council website. Check your council’s site for the latest updates.
Frequently asked questions
What colour are the bins in Oldham?
In Oldham the recycling bin is brown, the paper and card bin is blue and the general rubbish bin is grey. Oldham also lists a green bin for food and garden waste. Brown is the recycling colour in 8 of the 66 councils with a checked recycling colour.
Where does glass go in Oldham?
Glass goes in the brown recycling bin in Oldham (“Glass bottles and jars”).
What goes in the recycling bin in Oldham?
Oldham’s recycling bin takes “Plastic pots”, “Plastic tubs” and “Plastic trays including black plastic trays”, among other things.
See the full recycling listWork for Oldham? See how BinBosh helps councils →
Never guess which bin
Get free reminders the night before your bins go out.