New scheme in pipeline for collecting glass waste

The idea has been put forward to tackle the problem of residents putting glass in their blue recycling bins, which contaminates the waste.

Now Mansfield District Council is seeking your views to find out if the new scheme is worth introducing in 2019.

The plan is to give all households a free heavy-duty bag in which to put clean bottles and jars. Every month, it could be left outside for collection.

For residents with large amounts of glass, they could buy an extra 140-litre wheelie-bin from the council for about £20. But if glass goes in the blue bins, it could be rejected by the recycling plant and have to be switched to landfill, costing the council £100 a ton.

“We need to increase our recycling rates, bring contamination down to an acceptable level and make recycling easy for our residents,” said Coun Andrew Tristram, portfolio holder for the environment and wellbeing.

“We feel that a separate, kerbside collection for glass would be convenient and simple to use. But before we go ahead, we need to gauge local opinion.”

To have your say, complete an online survey at www.mansfield.gov.uk/glassrecycling or pick up a form from Mansfield Civic Centre, Mansfield Museum, Forest Town Library or Warsop Town Hall.