Bottle banks
Where to recycle glass bottles and jars
Glass bottles and jars of any colour can go in your council glass collection or a bottle bank. Perfume and aftershave bottles can go in too.
Your council glass collection
If your council collects glass from home, use that. Its website says which bin or box to use.
Bottle banks
Bottle banks take bottles and jars of any colour. Where a bank has a slot for each colour, blue glass goes in with green.
Some glass cannot go with bottles
Recycle Now lists the glass that cannot go in with bottles and jars: crockery, drinking glasses, Pyrex and other cookware, light bulbs and vases.
Key facts
- Binmap lists 489 places that say they take glass bottles and jars, including 250 tips.
- Another 282 places may take glass bottles and jars, but they do not say so. Check before you go.
Last updated: 15 October 2026
Written by Binmap using guidance from Recycle Now.
Advice from national bodies
What to do
- Empty each bottle and jar and give it a quick rinse.
- Put the lids and caps back on.
- Take out corks. You can compost them at home.
Mistakes to avoid
- Do not put glass milk bottles in a bottle bank. Give them back to your milkman.
Kinds of place that take it
- Glass bottle banks
- Local recycling sites
- Recycling centres
Other kinds of place
Binmap is independent and is not run by any council.