How To Prevent England’s Glass Litter Problem
New glass is made with sand, which is very energy-intensive. So it’s good to buy items made from recycled glass, to help reduce the use of fossil fuels.
A study by Keep Britain Tidy found that 80% of littered bottles and nearly 5% of littered cans, contain remains of tiny small mammals (shrews, bank voles and wood mice).
If using recycled glass vases, know some indoor plants (like lilies and sago palm) are toxic to pets (even a tail brushing past can harm). Read our post on safer houseplants. If using recycled glass candlesticks, read our post on safe candle use.
How to recycle different types of glass
All towns have bottle banks to recycle glass, but many are full to overflowing, and often you have to drive to reach them (a few councils let you recycle glass at kerbside). One idea is to choose choose plant drink in returnable glass bottles.
You don’t have to remove lids and labels to recycle glass bottles (machines take care of that). Blue bottles can go in green glass banks. But do rinse bottles and remove corks from wine bottles (too packed to compost – as choking hazards, take them to off licenses or send in bulk to Recorked).
You can also use bottle banks to recycle baby food and jam jars (wash them first) and empty scent bottles (half-full ones have to go to hazardous waste). Just bin nail polish bottles, they can’t be recycled due to the contents.
You can’t put glass vases or Pyrex cookware and microwave plates in bottle banks. Nor lightbulbs (old ones are binned, recycle LED bulbs at stores that sell them, or the council depot).
What if Your glass bottle bank is full?
Don’t leave empty bottles nearby, as they could smash and harm wildlife. You can usually call a number on the bottle bank to inform it’s full, or report full bottle banks at Fix My Street (reports are sent to councils).
Cleanup UK wants highways agencies to change their policy. Presently, many mow grass verges BEFORE picking up glass and other litter. So therefore shards of glass go everywhere.
Deposit return schemes also belong in this conversation. In plain terms, they put a small value on returning containers, which encourages people to bring them back instead of dropping them. Communities can support moves in that direction, while still doing the local basics that work right now.
At present, the law is being delayed as the English government (presumably pressured by corporate interests) doesn’t want glass included, saying it would be too difficult, unlike the Welsh government, which will include it from 2027. Glass has been included in European deposit return schemes for years.
France gets 30 cents for each bottle, and in Gland, Finns return hundreds of glass/plastic bottles and cans each year, earning a tidy sum (around £40 yearly) to pay for all their coffee (they drink four cups daily, the most in the world!) A similar scheme operates in The Netherlands.
Millions of glass bottles that are littered in the UK cause harm to people, pets and wildlife, and precious resources are wasted. Keep Britain Tidy campaigned for the inclusion of glass in DRS, but the decision was taken by government to exclude the material. Keep Britain Tidy
Ask for the right bins in the right places
Reports that get action are detailed, calm, and repeatable. Report glass litter (with photos) to Fix My Street (these public reports are sent to councils, and more likely to get fixed).
No matter who dropped it, it’s the council’s responsibility to clear litter on public land. For private land, they can serve litter abatement orders to force clear-up (or clear it themselves, and bill landowners).
How a Kansas brewer is reducing glass litter
In Kansas (USA), one brewer solved the headache of beer bottle litter by founding Ripple Glass, a state-of-the-art processing plant where people drop off glass bottles, or have them collected. It’s made into fibreglass to insulate people’s homes.
The rest is turned into new beer bottles, which saves him money. These purple bins are now in 100 communities across the US. The bins also take glass candles (with leftover wax) and window panes.
