The council is expanding its recycling collection scheme.

The authority’s executive has approved plans to increase weekly food waste collections from apartments which don’t currently benefit from the service by March 31 2026.

As part of the government’s "Simpler Recycling" measures, by that date core materials like paper and cardboard, plastic, glass and metal, and metal must be also be collected.

Plastic film packaging and plastic bags are to be collected by March 31 2027.

It is already being rolled out in council buildings and businesses with more than 10 full-time staff working on the project.

Staff will be asked to comply with the new legislation to separate their waste for recycling, similar to how people do at home.

Trafford already offers a weekly food waste collection to most properties but there are some larger blocks of apartments that do not currently have the option.

Apartments will be provided with an internal kitchen caddy and a roll of compostable liners to enable them to separate their food waste.

Communal bins will be provided for the collections and they will have a lockable lid to prevent contamination.

Cllr Stephen Adshead, the council’s executive member for highways, environmental and traded services, hailed the new scheme. 

He said: “Trafford Council’s recycling rates are already very high and we are the second best recycling borough in Greater Manchester.

“However, some properties in our borough – mainly flats – are not currently having their food waste collected and this new initiative will ensure that this happens from next year. 

“This change will ensure that everyone in the borough can recycle their food waste properly and will help make our recycling figures even better.”

A report to the executive said that in Greater Manchester, most of the core set of materials required under the legislation to be recycled were already being collected.

Households have been notified about the change to include plastic pots, tubs and trays on the council's and Recycle for Greater Manchester's social media channels and website.

The report added: “The collection of plastic film is more complex and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority [the waste disposal authority] is commissioning a "materials recovery facility" to sort all the mixed recycling collected in the city region.”

The council received £450,000 of ‘new burdens capital funding’ in March this year to expand the collection of food waste to apartments not currently offered the service.

The Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) grant notification was received in January and was added to the authority’s capital programme in February.