Glass waste collection

Glass collection takes bottles and jars. Clear, brown and green usually share one bin, though carriers differ. Pubs, bars, restaurants and venues fill them fastest. In England glass counts as a dry recyclable under Simpler Recycling, so it has to be kept apart from paper and card (GOV.UK, checked 10 August 2026).

We arrange the collection through licensed carriers. The price on your quote is the carrier's rate plus our margin, shown before you sign. Bins come with the service. If your current collection prices well for your volumes and lift frequency, we say so and you stay put.

What goes in the glass bin

GOV.UK defines the workplace glass stream as drinks bottles and rinsed empty food jars (checked 10 August 2026). Light bulbs stay out because they contain hazardous elements, and Pyrex is treated glassware reprocessors cannot use (Business Waste Ltd, checked 10 August 2026).

Sorting by colour is a carrier habit rather than a legal rule. Business Waste Ltd and Grundon both put clear, green and brown in one container, while Bins.co.uk suggests a bin per colour (all checked 10 August 2026). Where colours are split, an optical sorter does it at the reprocessor (First Mile, checked 10 August 2026). We tell you how your carrier works before you sign.

Bins for glass

Glass bins are small because the bin fills by weight long before it fills by space. A 240 litre bin is rated 15kg for general waste and up to 100kg for glass (WasteManaged, checked 10 August 2026). Bins.co.uk puts the glass ceiling at 50kg (checked 10 August 2026). None of the carriers we checked publishes glass in a 660 or 1100 litre bin. They offer 120, 140 and 240 litre bins, caddies and bottle banks (Business Waste Ltd and Grundon, checked 10 August 2026). The full size ladder is on commercial bins.

Your collection is made by CARRIER + EA PERMIT — Kev to supply. Under section 34 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, checking a carrier's registration is your duty as well as ours. Keep the waste transfer note for each load for two years (GOV.UK, checked 10 August 2026).

The rules

Simpler Recycling names glass as a dry recyclable English workplaces must separate. It may be collected with plastic and metal, which is why some sites run it with their mixed recycling. Workplaces with 10 or more full-time equivalent staff have complied since 31 March 2025. Under 10 staff, the date is 31 March 2027 (GOV.UK, checked 10 August 2026). Rules elsewhere in the UK differ.

Tell us your streams at business waste collection. Everything else we arrange sits on commercial waste.