An update report on Newark and Sherwood District Council’s kerbside glass scheme was presented at a council meeting this week.
Since the implementation of the scheme, residents in Newark and Sherwood have increased the amount of glass recycled by 62.8%.
The amount of glass being collected over each 8-week cycle has been increasing, and the District Council collected 100 tonnes more in the last collection than in the first one!
Councillor Emma Oldham, Portfolio Holder for Climate and the Environment, said:
“I am delighted that so much glass is now being diverted from incineration and being recycled, and I want to thank every single person who recycles their glass, either through our service, Recycling Ollerton and Boughton’s service, or via our bottle banks.
“Glass is an infinitely recyclable material, and it was so important that we facilitated the kerbside service across the district to ensure we are doing all we can to promote simple and convenient recycling. This will ultimately be a key part of helping us achieve our carbon net zero target in Newark and Sherwood by 2035.”
Carbon net zero means that any carbon emissions created are balanced out by removing the same amount from the atmosphere. Net zero will be reached once the amount of carbon emissions added is no more than the amount removed.
Councillor Oldham continued, “We’ve been able to create more local jobs because of introducing the scheme, and the sale of the glass has helped fund these new posts too, which is fantastic.
“Our crews start glass collections later than other waste teams to delay the time the first bin is emptied, reducing any noise impact.
“We have been regularly adding more properties and flat complexes over the past six months, and it still isn’t too late to opt into the scheme if you initially opted out.
“It’s completely free; you’ll be delivered a new glass bin for free, and you won’t pay for the service either! As well as increasing the amount of glass recycled, our contamination rates have reduced in our recycling bins, meaning that more materials are now able to be recycled. On top of that, the glass being collected is also the right type of glass! We are really making a huge difference as a district, and I’m enormously proud of that!”
“Historically, glass found its way into recycling bins, and this typically accounted for 8.2% of the contamination found in silver bins per month. This has now halved since the introduction of the new teal-lidded glass recycling bin! There have also been no contamination issues with the glass collections. In fact, feedback from the District Council’s glass contractor stated that the quality of the glass is excellent.”
Councillor Emma Oldham concluded, “This incredible effort is solely because of the hard work of our residents and their incredible attitude towards supporting our glass scheme. Because of them, we have improved our recycling rates, decreased our contamination rates, and are getting closer to our carbon net zero target.”
The District Council remains committed to supporting Recycling Ollerton and Boughton (ROB). To help manage any increase in requests for their glass service, the District Council funded the purchase of an additional 1,000 boxes, and for the first half of this year, there has already been an 11% increase in the glass tonnage collected from ROB, which is great news!
The District Council launched its glass recycling service for trade customers in June 2024, with 28 businesses already signed up. If you are a homeowner or a business and wish to opt into our kerbside glass recycling scheme, please call us on 01636 650 000 or email us at customerservices@newark-sherwooddc.gov.uk. If you live in the areas surrounding Ollerton and Boughton, serviced by ROB, you can also choose to use their service, with information available on their website at www.recyclingollerton.co.uk
The decision to implement a kerbside glass recycling service followed a public survey, which saw almost 93% of 6,315 respondents wanting to see it introduced. You can put food jars, glass drink bottles, toiletry jars (that may have contained things such as face creams or aftershave), perfume bottles, and reed diffuser bottles in the glass recycling bins. Items must be empty and clean with lids removed where possible, although labels can stay on.
Some common items you can’t put into your glass recycling bin and should instead place in your green waste bin include oven-proof glass such as Pyrex, mirrors, drinking glasses, vases, nail varnish bottles, panes of window or greenhouse glass, microwave plates, spectacles, and light bulbs and tubes. This is because these items do not melt at the same temperature as recyclable glass.
The District Council is committed to doing all it can to achieve its net zero goal, including decarbonising its buildings by adding solar PV panels, planting thousands of trees, deploying electric vehicles in its fleet, and much more.
To find out more about the District Council’s kerbside glass scheme, visit www.newark-sherwooddc.gov.uk/kerbsideglass
