Glass recycling

Glass is endlessly recyclable, and can be back on the shelf as a new bottle or jar in around 30 days!

However, glass in your black and green household bins cannot be recycled. It gets wasted, meaning that more raw materials and fossil fuels need to be used to create new glass products.

Last year over 15,000 tonnes of glass bottles and jars were thrown away in household bins in Leeds – that’s the weight of 108 blue whales! Dealing with all this glass cost over £1.5 million in disposal costs - money that would have been better spent on other local services.

 

 

What happens to glass in black binsWhat happens to glass in black bins<div class="ExternalClass6DAC716428AA45C3B1C23802CB693AFE"><p>​All the rubbish from black bins in Leeds goes to our <a href="/residents/bins-and-recycling/your-bins/future-of-leeds-waste">recycling and energy recovery facility</a> where it is incinerated. </p><p>This means that any glass placed in your black bin is wasted, as it will never be recycled into a new bottle or jar.<strong></strong><br></p></div>
What happens to glass in green binsWhat happens to glass in green bins<div class="ExternalClassDAC5E34EE8BA46D08B32D4E534782944"><p>​Glass placed in green bins breaks and gets mixed in with other recyclables. This lowers the quality and purity of recyclable paper, metals and plastics in your green bin. </p><p>This lowered quality then makes it harder to sell on to material re-processors to make new products.<br></p></div>

We get asked a lot about why we don’t have a kerbside glass collection. We would love to be able to introduce this, but unfortunately don’t have the funds needed to change collection vehicles and routes, provide bins or boxes, and other associated costs.

All your glass – from wine and beer bottles to baby food and sauce jars – can still be recycled at one of over 700 glass recycling banks across the city. Just give your jars a quick rinse first. You can even leave the caps or lids on, as these will get recycled too!

Find your nearest bottle bank

Your nearest bottle bank is closer than you think – download the Leeds Bins app to find your nearest, or use the interactive map on this page.

If you have a suggestion for a new glass bank location please contact us at leeds.waste@leeds.gov.uk.

Let’s all do our bit and Recycle for Leeds.

Interactive Glass Bank Map

Please note that this map is not compatible with older versions of Internet Explorer.​​

 

 

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