Glass Recycling

Since August 2003 Perth & Kinross Council have collected 1,800 tonnes of glass bottles and jars that would otherwise have gone to landfill.

Perth & Kinross Council operate a Kerbside Glass Recycling Service to allow businesses to recycle their glass bottles and jars. The scheme started in August 2003 as a pilot and has proved to be so successful that today the glass recycling lorry collects on average 22 tonnes of mixed glass every week from businesses throughout Perth and Kinross.

Glass is not only one of the heaviest and most bulky items collected in the general waste stream but is also a valuable recyclate disposed of by businesses.

Mixed glass bottles and jars collected from businesses through the kerbside service currently get cleaned and crushed for use in the construction industry as insulation.

Glass recycling does not incur Landfill tax, which increased on April 1st 2005 by £3 per tonne and will continue to increase £3 per tonne each year until £35 per tonne is reached. By using the Kerbside Glass Recycling Service many businesses are able to reduce the size or uplifts of their general waste therefore saving money and reducing their Landfill landfill tax payments.

Businesses are issued with a 240 litre red-lidded bin. This size of bin is used due to the weight of glass deposited. A larger bin would prove to be dangerous for uplifts and for moving. Mixed glass bottles and jars are then placed into the bin and put out at the kerbside on the relevant day for collection.

This glass recycling service can only accept glass bottles and jars. Other types of glass such as that found in light bulbs, cookware, and window panes have different properties. This type of glass can not be recycled by the same processes as bottles and jars because doing so would introduce impurities. If your business produces these types of glass there may be other ways to dispose of it please see QA column on page 7 for further information.

Recycling glass is not only cost-efficient it also benefits the environment. To find out more about glass recycling for your business call the Environment Services Helpline on 01738 476476.