Bedford Borough Council has described its glass recycling initiative as a ‘sparkling success’ after more than 220 tonnes of additional recycling were collected in December.
It represents an increase of around 24% compared with the same month of the previous year.
The council thanked Bedfordians for their efforts, saying that these early figures suggest that residents have embraced recycling glass bottles and jars alongside existing dry recycling materials, all of which can be placed in their orange-lidded bin.
For anyone concerned about the safety of the process, the glass is mechanically separated at the sorting facility, posing no risk to operators, and it’s fine for glass to be mixed in colour or even broken.
Making a difference
Councillor Nicola Gribble (Independent, Renhold and Ravensden), portfolio holder for environment, said: “We want to say a big thank you to everyone who’s been putting their glass bottles and jars in their orange-lidded bins.
“It’s fantastic to see such a strong response so soon after launching the service.
“Every bottle and jar recycled helps us cut waste and create a cleaner, greener Bedford Borough. By keeping up the great work, we can make an even bigger difference together.”
Residents are reminded:
- to give glass bottles and jars a quick rinse, leave metal lids on, and remove any corks before recycling
- corks will go in the black-lidded bin
- any plastic spray tops on glass cosmetic bottles, such as perfume, or plastic lids on glass jars, should be removed, but can still go in the orange-lidded bin separately
If your orange-lidded bin is full, extra recycling, including glass, can be put out on your collection day in a clear sack or sturdy cardboard box placed next to your orange‑lidded bin.
The council has said it will be monitoring the use of its bottle banks over the coming months to help understand how residents are using the new service and to shape future provision.
The new weekly food waste collection service will begin on Monday, 30 March, and details about this service can be found here.
Read: Weekly food waste collections to launch across Bedford Borough in March
