Recycling bottles and jars is set to get simpler and easier for all households in Cherwell as changes to the district’s kerbside collections are set to come into effect.
Published: Wednesday, 5th November 2025
On Tuesday, 4 November a meeting of Cherwell District Council’s executive gave the green light to plans to collect glass at the kerbside. From Thursday, 1 January 2026 residents will be able to dispose of their glass in the blue recycling bin.
It ends over 30 years of residents taking their glass to bring banks and brings the council service in line with the government’s new Simpler Recycling legislation.
Councillor Ian Middleton, Portfolio Holder for Neighbourhood Services, said: “The collection of glass from the kerbside is one of the most requested changes to our recycling service, and we have been listening.
"This change will make it faster and more convenient for residents to recycle whilst reducing the problems associated with bottle banks. The reality is that these have attracted litter and fly-tipping, with the taxpayer having to pick up the costs of the clear-up.
"So not only are we making glass recycling easier for our residents, we’re also planning to remove over 100 bottle banks to keep the district tidy and help prevent fly-tipping.
"The added benefit of introducing this service just after the holiday season is that all those bottles of festive cheer will be easier than ever to dispose of, once they’re empty of course!”
Introducing a kerbside glass collection is expected to increase the district’s overall recycling rate by 1 to 1.5 per cent, adding 500-700 tonnes of glass per year to the recycling stream.
Glass collected from Cherwell residents’ blue bins will be separated from other dry recycling by machines at a sorting centre. The large pieces will be sorted by colour for further processing, whilst smaller pieces are used for road aggregate or shot blasting material.
The glass bring banks located around the district will be removed gradually as part of ongoing improvements.
Further information about the upcoming kerbside glass recycling service can be found at www.cherwell.gov.uk/glass-recycling