Greater Manchester tips to introduce proof-of-address checks in 2027
Proof-of-address checks are due at Greater Manchester tips from New Year 2027, with reminders rather than refusals during the initial rollout.
Residents using Greater Manchester’s tips will have to show proof of their address under checks expected to start at New Year 2027. During an initial ‘soft’ launch, anyone without documents will receive a reminder rather than be refused entry.
The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has set out the plans in a report. Wigan is excluded because it does not belong to the region’s waste disposal authority.
What residents will need
A driving licence will be the preferred proof because it should carry the holder’s current address. Other specified photo identification will also be accepted, alongside combinations of documents such as utility bills and photo ID.
The recycling centres are free for residents of the nine Greater Manchester boroughs covered by the waste disposal authority.
The checks follow concerns that closures in neighbouring counties are sending people across the boundary to dispose of waste for free. The GMCA recorded increased visits at Adswood in Stockport after three Cheshire tips closed in 2024.
In 2025, the authority’s centres handled more than 4.7 million visits, involving more than one million different vehicle registrations.
Concerns over queues and fly-tipping
Peter Crossen, Conservative councillor for Bramhall South and Woodford, warned: “All you’re going to be doing is encouraging passport-style queues at tips, and it is going to lead to frustration.”
Labour councillor David Meller, who represents Cheadle East and Cheadle Hulme North, raised concerns that making access harder could increase fly-tipping. He also said residents should not have to pay for waste brought in by people from outside the area.
Pat Walsh, a Levenshulme resident living near the Sandfold Lane recycling centre, feared that discouraging tip use would worsen fly-tipping. Fellow resident Jeremy Hoad also objected to putting barriers in the way of access.
