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Make a Material Difference in the Heart of the North West region
Do you have a question? Look through our FAQs below to see if we’ve already answered it!
If you can’t find the answer you’re looking for, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us and ask us yourself! We always try to help however we can.
Materials We Handle
What materials do you collect from customers?
Materials we handle for recycling and reuse include:
- All grades of paper
- Paper cups (PE lined not ‘compostable’)
- Cardboard
- Aluminium and steel cans and other metal items
- Plastic bottles
- Polythene
- Polystyrene
- Glass
- ICT equipment
- WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment)
- Cable
- Hazardous waste (fridges, CRT monitors, lightbulbs, fluorescent tubes, batteries, TFT monitors, UPS)
- Furniture
- Toner cartridges (ask us as not all are recyclable or reusable)
- Wood (grade A to C – plywood, chipboard, pallets, fencing, construction timber, off-cuts, scaffolding boards, crates)
- Food waste
- Textiles and shoes (must be clean and dry, shoes paired)
IMPORTANT NOTE: All waste must be source-segregated (sorted out into individual materials) before we pick it up. We don’t accept mixed waste (e.g. cans mixed with paper waste).
What plastics can EMERGE recycle?
Plastic bottles, polythene, polystyrene.
Do you collect hazardous waste?
Do you offer confidential waste destruction, for example paper shredding and secure destruction of hard drives etc?
Yes, EMERGE Recycling provides fully licensed and accredited secure services in both IT equipment disposal and for confidential documentation. Please see our pages for Confidential Shredding and WEEE and Hazardous Waste for more information. You may also wish to look at Our Compliance page.
Drop-offs & Collection
Can I drop off items/materials at your site myself?
Yes, we ask members of the public to attend between 10am – 3pm, Monday to Friday. (We are not open on weekends). We only accept certain materials to our site, (please see the list below). To avoid unnecessary delays, or if you need assistance unloading, please call us beforehand. If in doubt about whether we can accept what you want to bring to us, please give our customer care team a call and they will be happy to advise you.
Safety on site
We have a high number of vehicles operating on our busy site, so all visitors must report to the reception in our office on arrival. For their own safety, members of the public must not enter the cordoned-off processing area unless accompanied by a member of our recycling team.
What materials do you accept at your site? (if you are bringing it to us, rather than us collecting from you).
We accept:
- Paper
- Cardboard
- Aluminium and steel cans
- Plastic bottles
- Polythene
- Polystyrene
- ICT equipment.
Please note: we do not accept wood, hazardous waste, general residual waste (rubbish) or mixed recycling.
Can I drop off cardboard to your site?
Yes, EMERGE accepts cardboard as long as it’s clean. If bringing a large quantity (for example, a van full), you will need to book your arrival in with our customer service team.
Please give us a call for further details, or if you would like to book a cardboard delivery in.
Do you charge for cardboard collections?
Yes, EMERGE offers collection services at a very competitive rate. Please call our customer care team for further details or to obtain a quote.
Do you recycle glass window panes?
We don’t currently offer this service, but we may be able refer you to a business that can help you.
Are wood collections free?
Unfortunately not. We operate a fleet of vehicles to suit your requirements. For small volume collections we have a caged tipper vehicle which holds up to 800kg, or for larger consignments, we have a truck which holds up to 2.5 tonnes.
Can you collect from households?
We can collect confidential documentation and other recyclables, on a charged for basis; our prices are competitive. Please call us for a quote. Whilst EMERGE originally pioneered kerbside recycling for households in Manchester and Old Trafford in the 1990’s, local councils now run their own domestic recycling kerbside collections. For standard household recycling services like glass and card, please refer to your local council’s website and look for ‘waste and recycling’.
Do you offer ad hoc or one-off collections?
Yes, we are happy to provide a single service; you don’t need to be an existing customer or have a contract with us. Please contact us for further details.
I have a long list of varied items that need collecting. How do I obtain a quote?
Our customer care team can provide you with a quotation, ideally from a list that you provide us with, or you can send a photo (you can send this to us by email or WhatsApp). We may also be able to arrange site visits for custom quotations.
I’m an existing customer. When is my next collection?
Existing customers are always welcome to contact our customer care team with questions about collection schedules. Please see our contact us page for ways to get in touch.
Location & Coverage
What areas do you cover?
Manchester City Centre, Ardwick, Openshaw, Gorton, Denton, Audenshaw, Droylsden, Newton Heath, Miles Platting, Cheetham Hill, Harpurhey, Prestwich, Blackley, Moston, Rochdale, Oldham, Trafford Park, Old Trafford, Salford, Salford Quays, Eccles, Hulme, Davyhulme, Stretford, Moss Side, Fallowfield, Urmston, Chorlton, Didsbury, Heaton Moor, Heaton Norris, Heaton Chaple, Stockport, Levenshulme, Burnage, Reddish, Withington, Rusholme, Chorlton on Medlock, Cheadle, Bramhall, Poynton, Altrincham, Hale, Bowden, Sale, Northenden, Wythenshawe, Gatley, Heald Green, Macclesfield, Adlington, Bollington, Tytherington, Marple, Bredbury, Whaley Bridge, Disley, Furness Vale, New Mills, Hazel Grove, Wilmslow, Northwich, Knutsford, Alderley Edge.
If your area does not appear above, please contact us as we still may be able to help.
Where are you based?
EMERGE is located in Maynard House, New Smithfield Market, Manchester, M11 2WJ.
Licences & Accreditations
What licences and accreditations do you hold?
British Security Industry Association Member
ISO 9001 & BSEN15713
Safe Contractor
Waste Carrier exemption
Waste Operator exemption
For copies of all our documentation, please see Our Compliance page.
Payment & Receipts
Do you accept card payments?
Yes, we accept payments from all major debit and credit cards. We can take payment over the phone, please call our Finance Team on 0161 223 8200 Option 7
Do you provide receipts?
Yes, these are automatically generated after a transaction, and can be emailed to you on request or printed out on site if you drop waste off.
General Questions
What are your opening hours?
Our office is open from 8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.
Our timber upcycling facility, Touch Wood, is open 8.30am to 4pm Monday to Friday.
We are not open at weekends.
How can I be sure that my waste will actually be recycled?
As an award-winning social enterprise, we practice real recycling (this means source separated material collection and bulking for onwards transport to accredited material re-processors) and as such, we strictly adhere to the ethos of the ‘3Rs’: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.
EMERGE Recycling selects the reprocessors we send materials to on the grounds that they practice authentic recycling and reuse. We audit these companies to check their licences and accreditations initially and then annually, in line with our own ISO9001 accreditation.
Don’t believe us? Come and visit us! We believe in being totally transparent about all our services. If you need further assurance, please call us and have a chat, or book a visit to take a tour of our facilities. We have nothing to hide. You can also speak to the companies we work with if you want to find out more about what happens to your waste after it leaves our depot.
I’d like to know more about what I can do to recycle. Can you advise me?
Yes, we are happy to provide consultancy services and conduct waste audits and training. *Prices quoted are Ex-VAT, time-limited and have Terms & Conditions.
If you are a new customer, before you sign up with us, we can give you a free snapshot audit and assessment of your requirements, over the phone if needed. Although we have standard prices and services, we are able to give you a tailored quotation if you have particular needs.