Glass collections in green bins in Leeds to begin on 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.

All the glass bottles and jars collected from the green bins will be recycled and remelted in Yorkshire and turned into new bottles and jars ready for use within a month. Caps, lids and labels can be left on ready for collection.

Glass bottles and jars are 100 per cent recyclable and can be recycled endlessly without any loss in quality. 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 amounts to 11,400 tonnes of glass which from August 1 can be placed in the green bin instead and recycled. The environmental benefit would be an annual carbon saving of 2,600 tonnes, the equivalent of taking more than 975 cars off the road each year.

The local network of over 700 bottle banks in Leeds will remain in place for added convenience.

Leeds City Council’s executive member for climate, energy, environment and green space, Councillor Mohammed Rafique said: “We are delighted to be able to start this glass collection service, which we know has long been an aspiration for the city and its residents. From August 1st people can put their bottles and jars in their existing green bin which will help make a significant difference to our recycling rates and benefit the environment and the local economy. This is part of providing simpler recycling opportunities and choices for Leeds residents, without creating more bins for them to manage and put out on the streets. It will be a win-win all round and we can’t wait to get it started.”

Otley and Yeadon Liberal Democrats councillors, Colin Campbell, Ryk Downes and Sandy Lay have welcomed the news that Leeds residents can now start recycling glass

The move has been welcomed by local Liberal Democrats councillors, Colin Campbell, Ryk Downes and Sandy Lay.

"This is great news," said Cllr Campbell.  "For more than five years we have been pressing Leeds to introduce household glass collection but we were always told this was impossible.  We were therefore surprised and pleased that the Council can collect glass and that the scheme is due to start soon."

"Most local councils already collect glass," said Cllr Downes "and their schemes have proved very successful.  Putting glass in the green bin is a new approach but we have been told that the sorting system in place at the recycling depot is able both to remove the glass from other waste along with bottle and jar lids."

"Local bottle banks will remain for the time being," continued Cllr Lay.  "They are very successful and have made a positive contribution to local recycling.  We hope Leeds recycling figures, which are not very good at the moment, will improve significantly when the glass collection scheme starts."

For clarity, the green bin is for glass bottles and jars of any colour; but 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 can either be put in the black bin or taken to the nearest household waste and recycling centre.