Councils across Greater Manchester have released information on adjusted bin collections over the festive season, and residents are now being urged to check dates.
With Christmas only a few days away now, and lots of waste undoubtedly set to be generated over the next few weeks, residents across the region will be right to start asking if there are any planned changes to their bin collects during the festive season.
Dates for Christmas bin collections in each Greater Manchester have now been released by all local councils, as well as information and tips for recycling that residents are encouraged to follow.
Here’s the Christmas 2022 bin collection dates in every Greater Manchester borough.
Lots of Christmas waste is undoubtedly set to be generated over the next few weeks / Credit: Flickr
Manchester
This year, Manchester residents’ bins will be emptied one day later than the usual collection date, which means there will be a bin collection on Saturday 31 December, but collection days will return to normal service from 1 January 2023.
The new dates are as follows:
Monday 26 December collections move to Tuesday 27 December
Tuesday 27 December collections move to Wednesday 28 December
Wednesday 28 December collections move to Thursday 29 December
Thursday 29 December collections move to Friday 30 December
Friday 30 December collections move to Saturday 31 December
Manchester City Council is encouraging residents to make “a concerted effort to recycle as much as possible” this year.
Find more information about Christmas 2022 bin collections in Manchester here.
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Salford
In Salford, the Council has confirmed that residents’ bins will be collected as normal throughout the festive period – including the bank holidays on Boxing Day, Tuesday 27 December, and Monday 2 January 2023.
Salford City Council is also reminding residents recycle wrapping paper, tinfoil, bottles, cans, Christmas trees, and left-over food.
Find more information about Christmas 2022 bin collections in Salford here.
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Bolton
Residents in Bolton are being reminded that there will be some changes to refuse and recycling collections over the festive period.
Bolton Council has confirmed grey bins will be collected on Tuesday 27 and Wednesday 28 December, but there will be no collection of food waste containers or green bins between Monday 26 and Friday 30 December.
Beige and burgundy bins will be collected from Wednesday 28 December to Friday 30 December.
Find more information about Christmas 2022 bin collections in Bolton here.
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Bury
Bin collection crews in Bury will be working on weekdays throughout the festive season, with Bury Council assuring residents that it will do “everything possible to keep collections on track”.
There will be no change to grey, blue, and green bin collections throughout the festive season and residents should continue to put their bins out by 7am on their usual collection day, however, brown bin collections are to be paused for two weeks from Boxing Day (26 December 2022 – 6 January 2023).
The Council is asking residents to still recycle food waste in their brown bins, either inside a compostable liner or loose inside the bin.
Find more information about Christmas 2022 bin collections in Bury here.
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Oldham
Oldham Council has released adjusted bin collection dates for 2022, and is asking all Oldham residents “share this information with your neighbours”.
If residents’ waste and recycling bins are due to be emptied on Boxing Day, then they will need to put them out for collection two days earlier on Christmas Eve (Saturday 24 December), with green bins and food caddies being the exception as they will be collected on Monday 2 January 2023.
Collections on Monday 2 January 2023 will take place as normal.
Find more information about Christmas 2022 bin collections in Oldham here.
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Rochdale
Rochdale Council has confirmed there are no planned changes to the waste collections in Rochdale over the Christmas period and all collection rounds remain in place.
Find more information about Christmas 2022 bin collections in Rochdale here.
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Stockport
Stockport Council is asking residents to check its website for information on collection days as there are a handful of changes over the festive season.
There are no refuse collections on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year’s Day, and Councillors are also reminding residents that there will be no green bin or food caddy collections from week commencing Monday 26 December 2022, as they will start again from Monday 2 January 2023.
Find more information about Christmas 2022 bin collections in Stockport here.
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Tameside
Tameside bin crews will continue to work hard over the festive season, the Council has informed residents that collection days will change for some households in the borough.
There will be no brown bin collections at all across the borough from Boxing Day until Friday 6 January 2023, so anyone due a collection on the bank holidays – Monday, 26 December (Boxing Day), Tuesday 27 December, or Monday 2 January – should check the list below for their new date.
All other collections run as normal.
Find more information about Christmas 2022 bin collections in Tameside here.
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Trafford
Trafford Council has said there are set to be a number of changes to bin collections from Boxing Day (Monday 26 December), as they will take place a day later than normal.
Collections due to be made on Monday 26 December will now move to Tuesday 27 December, then Tuesday 27 December collections will move to Wednesday 28 December, and so on from there – with collection days set to return to normal from 2 January 2023.
Trafford residents are asked put their bins 6:30am on the new collection day.
Find more information about Christmas 2022 bin collections in Trafford here.
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Wigan
In Wigan, the Council has confirmed that blue, brow, and black bin collection days will stay the same over the festive season, but green bin collections will be suspended between Boxing Day (Monday 26 December) until Friday 6 January 2023.
Find more information about Christmas 2022 bin collections in Wigan here.
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Featured Image – Geograph
Boroughs
Council organises thousands of FREE activities for Greater Manchester kids this summer
Emily Sergeant
Thousands of free activities are planned ready for local families to take part in this summer.
With it only being a couple of weeks to go until schools right across Greater Manchester break up for the summer holidays, many parents, carers, and guardians will likely be looking for ways to keep the kids entertained for the six whole weeks before the new term starts – and even better if those ‘ways’ don’t break the bank too much, either.
Thankfully, Manchester City Councilhas relaunched its Holiday Activity and Food programme (HAF) to help keep little Mancs active during the summer break.
From arts and crafts, to sportingevents and plenty other physical activities, there is a whole host of entertaining things for everyone to get involved with, no matter your budget, making sure no one gets bored over the holidays.
The Council has organised thousands of free activities for Greater Manchester kids this summer / Credit: Senjuti Kundu (via Unsplash) | Yan Krukau (via Pexels)
If you’re unfamiliar with HAF’s long-term goal, it’s to ensure that some of the most vulnerable children and young people in Manchester, aged between 5-16 years old, get the support they need when the school term is over.
Last year alone, the Council says it was able to support a whopping 29,224 local children in accessing nearly 4,000 holiday sessions.
Although HAF is usually reserved for those eligible for free school meals, an extensive range of these free or low-cost activities taking place in Manchester this summer open for everyone to join in with.
There are thousands of FREE places for children’s activities over the school holidays.
PLUS each booked place will include a FREE meal during the day.
For those families who are eligible and a part of the HAF programme, a free and nutritious meal will also be provided at these free events, ensuring that no child has to endure holiday hunger.
“We know the holidays can be a real pinch point for families, which is why schemes such as the HAF programme are so important,” commented Councillor Julie Reid, who is the Executive Member for Early Years, Children, and Young People at Manchester City Council.
“Providing free activities can be a real boost for children of all ages throughout the holidays, allowing them to meet new friends and try out new things – both hugely significant in terms of their personal wellbeing and mental health.
“There’s lots of great events that will be running over the summer holidays with a free meal or snack included, so if you have not already been contacted to take part, I’d urge families to have a look at our Loads to Do website and see what they think their child would enjoy over the break.”
Check out all the free activities planned on the Loads To Do website here.
Featured Image – Artem Kniaz (via Unsplash)
Boroughs
Mélange by Red Hall is a jewel in the crown of Bury’s burgeoning hospitality scene
Danny Jones
We recently had the pleasure of staying at the understated and most definitely underrated Red Hall Hotel over in Bury, and got to try their stunning new Mélange restaurant while we were at it.
Now, we say underrated not because it hasn’t received glowing reviews in the past; the AA-star hotel has enjoyed plenty of plaudits over the years and currently averages 4.5/5 from over 900 reviews.
However, what we will say is that the food now being served from this quaint little outpost located in the tiny hamlet of Walmersley, just on the border of Ramsbottom (regularly voted one of the best places to live in the UK), is well worth more than the hotel’s three-star rating on it’s own.
Not only did we have the pleasure of staying in this charming little village getaway, but we were treated to a whopping 11 courses, followed by a morning meal, for a truly wonderful bed and breakfast vibe with all the added luxury of a Kayak Awards and 2021 Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice-winning destination.
The Mélange restaurant at Red Hall HotelSuch a striking room when you first walk in.Credit: The Manc Group
The first thing that struck us about the local favourite venue is that, despite being located beside Manchester Road, once you’re inside, it’s a quiet, tranquil and calming little escape from what is already a nice out-of-the-way escape from the bustle of the city and even Bury town centre.
Even if not, how inviting the actual Mélange restaurant itself is definitely will; the golden sign glistening from the soft white dangling bulbs immediately catches your eye, and then you walk in to see the big conservatory and almost orangery-esque windows, with sloped ceilings and lots of light.
You get just as warm a welcome from the staff as well, which is a feeling maintained throughout your entire dining experience, as they really do communicate that sense of comfort whilst “drawing from mamma’s childhood memories and unforgettable holidays” through the food.
Speaking of which…
Mélange – which quite literally translates to ‘a mixture’, often even hinting at things that don’t usually fit together – promises a fusion of British and Mediterranean cuisine, and delivers both familiar flavours but with plenty of contemporary punch and visual appeal.
We may have begun our meal with something as simple but satisfying as a mini round loaf of bread freshly baked in a cast iron pot with some acidic, tapenade-esque chutney, along with a couple of very refreshing and lemon-forward spritzes, but it didn’t take long before we dove headlong into indulgence.
See, the trouble was the mezze: we wanted to try a little bit of something from each section of the menu, but we couldn’t help but be drawn in by starting with three selections from what was advertised as ‘small plates, big flavours’.
In actuality, what happened was a board featuring our trio of choice appeared, and the bowls that sat upon it were pretty filling on their own. It’s a good job we didn’t spring for the eye-catching charcuterie board as well, otherwise we really would have struggled to finish this feast.
We went for these naughty ‘nduja arancini, some ever-so-smoky chicken wings in a slightly spiced aioli, and quite literally the best halloumi fries you’ll ever try; we don’t know if it was the light fried batter, the perfectly tearable texture of the cheese, or the subtle hot honey dip, but they were incredible.
We also opted to try two more delicate, lighter bites to somewhat cleanse the palate – the corn and duck salad, both of which were fantastically balanced and still not skimpy on the portions either.
The point being is that, at this stage, we started to worry this, plus our main courses of maple-baked salmon (paired with the most impressively smooth and sweet potato purée imaginable), gambas al ajillo (giant black tiger prawns in garlic) and a stuffed, herbaceaous, rolled pork number might be overkill…
Perfectly soft, gooey arancini with a slight heat to them.You could see the quality of the prawns before tasting it.That tweal on top alone was packed with flavour.Light, seasonal and yet more than a few mouthfuls.
Having said that, we still found time/room for another round of cocktails – again, sticking with the spritz theme (’tis the season, after all) – and just about managed to squeeze in two desserts.
The lemon posset was just tangy enough without being too tart and was devoured within seconds, while the cheesecake with an extra dusting of pistachio on top was superb. Topping each with a thin, honeycomb-design biscuit felt like a nice little Manc finishing touch as well.
We’ll confess, a fair few belt notches were loosened throughout the duration of this meal, but we kept persevering for a number of reasons: we wanted to get a comprehensive sweep of what’s on offer, we didn’t want to waste a morsel of food if possible, and most importantly, it was stunning.
Honestly, there wasn’t so much as an average mouthful of food all night. We can’t believe it’s taken us this long to try what’s being served out of the Mélange kitchen; pair that with a brilliant breakfast and relaxing stay at Red Hall itself, and it’s up there with one of the best hotel packages in the area.
Plenty of food and drink spots help, but the great in Greater Manchester, and we can’t say where exactly we’d rank this amongst all 10 boroughs, but we firmly believe you won’t find many better all-round hospitality offerings in Bury – if, indeed, at all.
There are plenty of lovely day and evening walks nearby.Or you can just curl up content on the sun-soaked terrace.
Emily Sergeant -
22nd December 2022 
