Manchester City Council has proposed reducing the size of general waste collection bins by 100-litres in order to encourage recycling, it was announced this week.
The City Centre borough has the lowest recycling rate in Greater Manchester at 33 per cent, almost half of Trafford at 62 per cent and Stockport at 61 per cent.
The council has said that by swapping the 240-litre black bins for smaller grey ones, a change already in place in seven Manchester authorities, the city could save up to £2.5million a year.
Councillor Nigel Murphy, the Executive Member for Neighbourhoods, said: “When recyclable waste is put into the wrong bin, money is being needlessly thrown away. Dumposaurus helps you make an intelligent and informed choice.
“Taking this action to boost Manchester’s recycling rates now will save the city almost £2.5m every year in waste disposal costs, helping to protect the vital council services that residents care about for the long-term future, while also helping the environment”.
With environmental concerns and a total saving of £16.5million possible if Manchester recycled everything it could, Cllr Murphy was keen to press on with the plans.
He added that: “Doing nothing is not an option and we are determined to work with residents to ensure that as much waste as possible is recycled”.
The plans, which do not include changes to collection times, are due to be considered at the Neighbourhoods Scrutiny Committee meeting on Tuesday 21 June.