Leeds bins: Kerbside glass recycling collections start from today - everything you need to know

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Residents of Leeds are now able to use their green bins to recycle glass bottles and jars.

From today (August 1), residents can put glass into their green household recycling bins so it can be recycled as part of the city’s commitment to the environment and improving recycling rates.

The new service is for any colour of glass bottle or jars, including those for wine, spirits, beer, pop, jam, sauces, coffee jars and spreads.

Here’s everything you need to know...

Residents can put glass into their green household recycling bins.Residents can put glass into their green household recycling bins.
Residents can put glass into their green household recycling bins. | Simon Hulme

How much will kerbside glass recycling cost?

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Kerbside glass collection will be free of charge for households in Leeds.

Glass items can now go in green household bins along with paper, cardboard, plastic and metal that can already be easily recycled from home.

When is glass recycling collection due to start?

Households across Leeds will be able to recycle glass bottles and jars in their green bins for the first time from today (August 1).

This includes all colours of glass and means that everything from wine, spirits and beer bottles, to jam jars and pasta sauce jars can now all be recycled in the Leeds green bin.

What will happen to the glass following collection?

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The council’s waste team work with contractor HW Martin, have invested in new machinery to allow for glass to be sorted effectively.

Once sorted the glass will be taken to a recycling facility in Yorkshire and remelted into new bottles ready for use within a month.

Are there any items that cannot be recycled?

Glass bottles and jars are fully recyclable and can be recycled endlessly without any loss in quality.

Other items such as oven-proof dishes, light bulbs, window or drinking glass do not melt at the same temperature as recyclable bottles and jars, so should be put in the black bin.

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Why the sudden change?

Despite a huge network of bottle banks across the city, more than half of glass bottles and jars in Leeds are currently put in black general waste household bins and incinerated.

This represents 11,400 tonnes of glass which now needs to be placed in the green bin instead. Doing so will help the environment by saving around 2,600 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year. The equivalent of taking 975 cars off the road.

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