Glass collection
A bar or venue serving alcohol produces far more glass than a standard recycling bin can handle.
A bar or venue serving alcohol produces far more glass than a standard recycling bin can handle. A dedicated glass collection — usually wheelie bins or bunded bins emptied weekly or twice-weekly — keeps bottles out of your general waste stream and out of the kitchen doorway at 1am.
Without a dedicated glass stream you either pay general waste rates on something that should be cheap to recycle, or staff end up carrying bags of broken glass through the venue at close, which is a genuine injury risk. Both England and Scotland now expect glass to be separated from general waste as a matter of course.
Often the same contractor as your general waste — ask for a combined quote.
Who this is for
Any venue selling alcohol in bottles — bars, pubs, restaurants and cafes with a licence.
What you’ll hold
- Glass collection agreement
Watch out for
- Under-sizing the bin for a Friday/Saturday night rush — glass collections that overflow end up as bags on the pavement, which some councils will fine you for.
- Storing glass bins right by a fire escape or the smoking area — check your fire risk assessment before deciding where the bins live.
- Forgetting collection noise and timing rules — some licences and local by-laws restrict early-morning bottle collections near residential neighbours.
Sources
- GOV.UK — Simpler recycling: workplace recycling in England checked 2026-09-02
- SEPA — Recycling and food waste for business checked 2026-09-02
See also
This is item 38 of 66 in the free UK Launch Checklist. See the whole list →