Glass recycling collection for your business
We'll let you in on a little secret: glass is a recycling company's best friend. Why? Because it can be endlessly recycled without ever losing quality.
That's why we believe glass recycling is incredibly important, as it saves tons of raw materials, such as sand, sodium carbonate, and limestone: all used to make glass from scratch.
Because of this, First Mile takes incredible pride in providing a glass waste disposal service for businesses, we offer pay-as-you-go sack collection and wheelie bin collection, both available on a flexible and reliable schedule of your choosing - no contract required!
Available nationwide, we offer a price match promise, comply with local council time-bands and provide all compliance documentation for your business such as Waste Transfer Notes. Plus we offer lots of great service extras such as a 24/7 support, an online customer portal, industry leading carbon reporting and more.
Whether your business needs a small or a large amount of glass recycled, you can be assured that First Mile has you covered, get an instant quote & set up glass recycling collections online today or speak to one of our recycling experts.
Discover what glass glass service is right for your business
How does pricing work for glass recycling collections?
Sack collections:
The price shown for our glass recycling sack service is per sack (+VAT). Sacks are sold in quantities of 120 on a pay-as-you-go basis with no contract required.
The upfront cost includes the cost of collection and recycling of materials, documentation and service extras, with no hidden costs.
Wheelie bin collections:
The price shown for glass recycling wheelie bin services is for the first week of collections (+VAT). The weekly price of collections is based on your schedule and the number of bin lifts.
We then invoice this to your account plus a small bin rental fee at the end of each month. Wheelie bin collections are ongoing unless you cancel them, but there is no contract required.
What can go in Glass Recycling bins and sacks?
Please keep out of Glass Recycling bins and sacks
How is glass recycled?
Glass is a great material to recycle as it has an unlimited life – it can be melted and recycled endlessly with no impact on the quality. Your glass waste is sent to a specialist facility where any labels, glue or metal parts are removed.
In the next stage, an optical sorter separates the glass by colour and the glass is broken down into ‘cullet’ – smaller pieces of glass between 0.05mm and 5mm in size. After washing, the cullet can be melted down and mixed with raw materials to create new glass jars and bottles. Lower quality cullet is crushed down even further and used in building roads or paving.
Why set up a Glass Recycling collection with First Mile?
Commercial Glass Recycling FAQs
How is glass recycled?
How is glass recycled?
Once collected from your premises, the glass is taken to a treatment plant, where it is then sorted by colour before being washed from any impurities. The next step involves crushing and melting it, allowing it to then be moulded into any type of glass product to be used once again.
Is glass recycling worth it?
Is glass recycling worth it?
Yes, absolutely! Because glass can be recycled repeatedly without losing any of its quality, it is among one of the most sustainable materials out there.
This is why First Mile offer a glass disposal service to ensure none of it ever goes to waste.
What is considered glass waste?
What is considered glass waste?
It might sound obvious, but glass waste is any broken or used products completely made from glass you no longer have any use for. Depending on what your business is, this could be jars, bottles, drinking glasses or even a broken window
This is why First Mile offers a great glass recycling service for businesses, knowing full well that large amounts of glass can be overwhelming to deal with, especially if you produce a lot of glass waste on a regular basis.
Can drinking glasses be recycled?
Can drinking glasses be recycled?
No, and this is a question we are asked often. We do not offer recycling of drinking glasses (as well as other glass products) as a service as they are made of toughened glass.
This has a higher melting point and contains certain chemicals, which makes its recycling require a separate process to normal commercial glass recycling. Once dealt with, this type of glass is used to build roads and buildings, still giving it a second life.
What other types of glass cannot be recycled recycled?
What other types of glass cannot be recycled recycled?
While glass bottles and jars can be recycled, some products are made using glass and other materials that makes recycling a bit trickier.
A great example would be glass cookware, such as Pyrex dishes, as these are made from borosilicate; a special type of glass that can withstand temperature changes, which means melting it isn’t as simple as normal glass.
Additionally, any glass with coating on it, such as mirrors and lightbulbs, can cause contamination if mixed in with standard glass recycling, meaning they need to be disposed of in a different manner.
Is bottle recycling good for the planet?
Is bottle recycling good for the planet?
Yes, and so is any other type of glass recycling, especially when you consider that a single glass bottle can take around a million years to fully break down.
This, combined with the fact that glass can be recycled an infinite number of times, makes glass bottle recycling essential to reduce waste on our planet.
Why us First Mile for my glass recycling needs?
Why us First Mile for my glass recycling needs?
As one of the leading waste management companies in London, Birmingham and the UK, First Mile has already helped over 30,000 businesses to reduce their carbon impact with our range of recycling services - with over 200 new businesses signing up each week.
By choosing First Mile, you’ll benefit from a low cost, reliable service, a 24/7 helpdesk, and free monthly reporting. You can view our accreditations above and our certificates and insurances here.