Bolton’s festive bin changes mainly affect the collection day, while what goes in each bin stays the same. Here’s the clearest current summary from the available Bolton council information.
| Bin type / item | What Bolton says to put in it | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Green bin / food waste container | Food waste such as peelings, turkey bones, tea bags, coffee grinds, and unpackaged out-of-date food | Green bins were collected up to and including Friday, December 15 before restarting on Monday, January 8 in one Bolton notice. |
| Burgundy bin | Plastic bottles, glass bottles, drinks cans, jars, food tins, foil trays and empty aerosols | In a later Bolton update, plastic pots, tubs and trays can also go in the burgundy bin. |
| Beige bin | Christmas cards, ordinary wrapping paper and paper gift bags without glitter, plus cardboard packaging | Glittery or embellished wrapping paper should not go in beige. |
| Grey bin | Bows, ribbons, polystyrene, shiny wrapping paper, and items with glitter on them; also anything that cannot be recycled | Bolton says plastic pots, tubs and trays can go here in older guidance, but the newer notice says they can be recycled in the burgundy bin. |
| Batteries | Not in grey or recycling bins | Bolton says to use supermarket recycling containers instead. |
| Christmas trees | Green waste / tip, or council collection for a charge | Council tree collection was listed at £16 in one notice, with booking deadlines that vary by year. |
For collection timing, Bolton says bins should be out with the lid fully closed by 7:00am or 7:30am depending on the notice, so it’s safest to have them out early on your revised collection day. If you want, I can also list the Christmas/New Year revised collection dates in order.