Thousands of flat residents to recycle

Thousands of residents living in flats will be able to recycle for the first time thanks to new services being introduced by Manchester City Council.

Residents in all of the city's 36,000 flats will receive the service this autumn, with blocks getting blue bins for paper, cardboard and drinks cartons, and brown bins for glass, plastic bottles and cans.

Plastic will then be taken away to a site in the North West where it is turned into everything from fleeces to window frames, while cardboard will be transformed into packaging such as egg boxes.

The City Council is introducing the new services following last year's waste and recycling consultation, in which people living in flats said they wanted to be able to recycle.

David Jarvis, estate manager and resident of Highfield on Dene Road, Didsbury, said: "Many of our residents have taken their recycling to supermarkets in the back of their cars, but most of it goes in the waste bins and ends up in landfill. We know we can reduce our waste by at least a fifth, so we're delighted we're getting this service."

Councillor Richard Cowell, Manchester City Council's Executive Member for the Environment, said: "People living in flats have wanted access to a simple and easy to use recycling service, we've listened to what they've got to say and I'm delighted that we're now able to provide this for them.

"I'm sure it'll be just as successful as other services we've recently provided in the city."