Fancy dumping your wine bottles in your orange-lidded bin?: Bedford council to expand kerbside recycling in trials

Would you find life that much easier if you could just chuck your wine bottles in with your other recycling?

Well, fear not, as the council is trialling the idea with residents in chosen areas being given the chance to recycle glass bottles and jars directly into their orange-lidded bins.

The trial is expected to begin in late April or early May and run for about nine months – and the specific locations will be revealed at that point.

Bedford Borough Council has even adapted two collection vehicles to handle the increased weight and potential for glass breakage.

During the trial, you’ll be able to throw away glass bottles of any colour or size, glass jars and non-food glass bottles like perfume, aftershave, face cream bottles.

However, a big no-no will be drinking glasses, cookware, vases and window or greenhouse panes – they’ll still have to be recycling the OG way, at the Household Waste Recycling Centre, in Barkers Lane.

Councillor Jim Weir, portfolio holder for environment, highways, and transport at Bedford Borough Council, said: “We're excited to launch this trial and offer residents a more convenient way to recycle their glass. This initiative not only makes recycling easier but also helps us prepare for new government legislation requiring local authorities to collect glass at the kerbside in the most cost-effective way.”