Glass recycling begins after fire delayed scheme

The rollout of kerbside glass collection will start in two months after it was delayed by a fire at a waste storage site, a local authority said.

Bedford Borough Council said glass bottles, jars and containers will be collected from orange recycling bins from 1 December.

The fire at Elstow Waste Transfer Station near Bedford broke out at about 21:00 BST on 4 July and was put out seven days later.

The building, which temporarily stored the borough's non-hazardous waste, was demolished so the blaze could be extinguished.

The authority said it had worked closely with contractors to "ensure that the necessary infrastructure is fully in place to manage the expected increase in recycled glass tonnage effectively".

A glass collection pilot scheme, which began in May 2024 and expanded to other parts of the borough that December, led "to increased recycling rates", the council said.

Nicola Gribble, an independent councillor at the authority and portfolio holder for environment, said: "The strong response to our trial proves that residents want to recycle more glass, and making this part of regular collections is a straightforward way to help our environment and reduce waste."

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