Glass containers are wonderful! They can be recycled over and over and over again, with no deterioration in quality. It’s not necessary to remove labels either, just give them a quick rinse out; the high temperature of glass recycling removes impurities. And remember it’s not just glass bottles – it’s all those empty pasta jars and jam jars which are just as valuable.

Things to remember
Other types of glass such as windows, light bulbs, mirrors, glass tableware and Pyrex must not be put in glass recycling banks. These types will spoil the next batch of recycled glass made into containers.

Bottles and jars are usually separated by colour: brown, clear, and green. Pop them in the correct colour bin (or use the mixed colour glass collection box service if you have one in your area). Blue bottles can go in the green bank. Clear glass is the most valuable. Remember to wash out bottles and jars and remove caps and corks before recycling. But there’s no need to remove labels.

Other things you can do
Have your milk delivered – the average milk bottle is re-used 20 times before being recycled. Reuse jars for storage. Old coffee jars, for example, make great storage jars for rice, herbs and other ingredients.