Glass recycling rates holding up after collection axe say Kirklees Council

The ending of the doorstep glass collection service in Huddersfield has not caused as many problems as feared.

Council officials claim that recycling rates for glass and bottles are still running very high.

There had been concerns that when Kirklees Council stopped the doorstep collection of boxes filled with bottles and glass, there would be many more dumped in grey wheeled bins and taken to landfill.

But six months on, the council believes many people are recycling their own glass at the bottle banks around the town.

They claim that the bottle and glass recycling figure is running at 75% of what it was while the doorstep service was in operation.

Kirklees Council says is still diverting 95% of waste away from landfill with the help of local householders, placing it in the top 10 local authorities in England.

Recyclables collected through the kerbside collection of green bins is taken for sorting and subsequent recycling.

Waste collected in the grey wheeled bins is burnt at the Energy from Waste Plant in Hillhouse in Huddersfield with the resulting ash also being recycled.

The ash can be reprocessed and is then used in building projects – including as an aggregate in road construction.

The ending of the kerbside glass collection in March to save an estimated £480,000 has, as expected, seen a drop in glass recycling.

A spokesman said: “However this drop has not been as much as expected.

“The amount of glass collected between April and July this year was 75% of that collected last year, showing that the majority of people are still recycling their glass using the bottle banks at household waste recycling centres and other places at the heart of communities.”

Clr Peter McBride, Cabinet member, said: “It is very heartening that most people are still enthusiastically recycling their waste and have carried on recycling their glass despite the ending of the kerbside collection.

“I would like to thank them for all their efforts in this and ask them to encourage as many friends and family to keep up the good work as it is important, not just to the local, but in making the most of the planet’s resources.”