Glass recycling

We've introduced a new glass collection service, in line with the Victorian Government’s requirement that councils comply with a standardised four-bin waste and recycling system by 2027. 

The new purple-lidded bin is specifically for the collection of glass bottles and jars.

 We're committed to creating a more sustainable future and delivering improved recycling services for our community sooner, so we are rolling out this new service for you now, ahead of schedule.

By changing how you sort your waste at home, we can do more with your recyclables. When correctly sorted, your old glass bottles and jars can be recycled again and again into new glass bottles and jars. Where this is not viable, recycled glass can be used in the construction sector (as road base, for instance) which reduces the need for other raw materials.

It also means that your paper, cardboard and plastic recycling will not be contaminated with broken glass, so more can be recycled into new products and kept out of landfill.

Your glass recycling bin will be collected every four weeks, on the same day of the week as your regular bin collection. 

You will still receive a fortnightly recycling collection, weekly rubbish collection and fortnightly food and garden waste collection (if you have opted into this service).

You can check when your bin will be collected by visiting the My Neighbourhood page and entering in your address. You can also download a 12-month bin collection calendar.

No. It is a Victorian Government requirement that all households have access to a separate glass recycling service.

All households that currently have a Council-provided rubbish and recycling bin will receive a glass recycling bin.  

You can put the following items in your glass recycling bin:

Glass bottles and jars from food and drinks, including:

• soft drink, juice, water and milk bottles
• beer, wine and spirits bottles
• sauce, condiments and oil bottles and jars.

Glass bottles and jars from medicine and toiletries, including:

• medicine bottles
• vitamin and supplement bottles and jars
• bottles and jars from toiletry and cosmetic items such lotions, gels and creams. 

Please ensure that all bottles and jars are empty before putting them in the recycling bin. 

The following items cannot be put into the glass recycling bin:

• loose lids and caps from bottles and jars
• corks, pumps, sprays and droppers
• bottles and jars with non-glass items inside, such as cigarette butts, food or liquids
• glass kitchenware, such as drinking glasses, crockery and ceramics, glass storage containers and glass cookware
• glass household items, such as vases, mirrors, light bulbs and fluorescent tubes
• plastic bags or plastic packaging.

All lids should be removed from bottles or jars before placing them in your glass recycling bin.

Please put the lids into your rubbish bin.

It is a good idea to lightly rinse your jars and bottles if there is still food inside. 

However, you do not need to wash them thoroughly.

Where possible, please remove plastic rings attached to the necks of bottles and jars.

Aluminium rings attached to the necks of bottles and jars do not need to be removed.

The glass recycling process requires glass items to be melted, and bottles and jars melt at the same temperature. Other types of household glass, such as drinking glasses, kitchenware such as Pyrex, window glass and mirror glass melt at different temperatures.

Yes, you can put broken bottles and jars into the glass recycling bin.

If your glass recycling bin is full and you still have glass bottles and jars to dispose of, you can either hold onto them until your bin is emptied, or take them to Heidelberg Materials Landfill (55 Bridge Inn Road, Wollert) for free drop off. 

Excess glass bottles and jars should not go in your recycling or garbage bin.

One of the biggest problems recyclers face is broken glass in recycling. Broken glass gets stuck in other recyclable materials, like paper and plastic, making it difficult to separate and recycle. This means valuable recyclable material ends up in landfill.

When glass is separated, we can recycle far more material and produce better-quality products from the waste we collect. 

That's why, even if you only have a small number of glass bottles and jars, we ask you to put these into your new glass recycling bin. 

We would also encourage you to have a think about the products you buy and the packaging it comes in. If there is the option of purchasing a product in a glass bottle or jar or a plastic container, please consider the glass option. Glass is infinitely recyclable, meaning that it can continue to be recycled again and again into new glass bottles and jars, reducing waste and the need to use new materials.

Glass is a valuable material that can be recycled again and again, providing a sustainable packaging option for products.

All glass collected from City of Whittlesea households will be taken to Visy Recycling to be processed and turned into new glass bottles. Where small fragments can’t be remade into glass bottles, they will be used in road base.

To find out more about the glass recycling process, watch this video from Visy Recycling.

The annual waste charge on your rates notices covers the cost of all kerbside waste collection services, including the new glass bin. This charge is determined as part of our budget process each year.

Being mindful of the impacts of the pandemic on the cost of living, we'll continue to subsidise waste charges for the next four years. Our waste charges remain significantly less than those charged by other councils, who are facing similar challenges with the increasing costs of waste disposal and the requirement to transition to a four‑bin system.

We're working with building managers and body corporates of multi-unit developments to provide the best system for glass collection for each development. 

If you have not yet received a glass recycling bin, or heard from your building manager or body corporate, please get in touch with them in the first instance.  

You can also call us on (03) 9217 2170 and ask to speak with the Resource Recovery Team.