Can You Put Glass in a Skip?

Glass is one of the most easily recycled materials when disposed of correctly, since it can be broken down and put back into manufacturing time and time again. It’s versatile, non-toxic and doesn’t react with other substances, making it ideal for a variety of day-to-day objects.

While glass is highly recycled in the UK, we’re still not recycling all of it. So can you put glass in a skip? Can it then be recycled? The answer to both these questions is yes.

Here at Reston Waste, we can accept glass in our skips as sheet glass or within a frame, helping you to recycle your waste materials via our facility in South West London. Please note that laminated glass is charged by the tonnage separately.

Why it’s important to dispose of small amounts of glass

It might seem like a small amount of glass isn’t very important and the temptation will be to place it in your ordinary waste bin. However, if we ever want to reach a circular economy with a material like glass, then we need to hit a 100% recycling rate.

The other reason it’s important to carefully dispose of glass is because of the danger it can pose when discarded neglectfully. Glass can break quite easily, and whether it’s in large shards or tiny fragments, this can cause injury. Small children and pets are especially at risk around broken glass.

So whether you have the odd sheet of glass or some old glassware you no longer need, don’t leave it lying around — recycle it!

How to dispose of glass in a skip

Disposing of glass in a skip should be done carefully. This is to ensure both your safety and the safety of our skip hire team who come to collect it. Simply throwing glass or glass items into a skip will probably see them shatter and fragment, making it dangerous for anyone working around the skip or when adding further items. 

Here are our recommendations for putting glass into a skip:

1. Take any small pieces of glass and wrap them up before placing them into some sort of separate container that you can dispose of in your skip. It’s a good idea to add a label to this container to identify it as glass so that it is then dealt with carefully.
2. Any sheets of glass with cracks in them will need some tape placed across them in order to keep the integrity of the sheet. Weakened glass sheets are likely to shatter and cause injury, which is why we recommend this technique to provide some stability. 
3. Larger broken glass pieces should be taped to a flat piece of cardboard, as well as taping the edges of the shards to ensure they cannot cause injury to anyone.

Can you put greenhouse glass in a skip?

Yes, here at Reston Waste we can accept your greenhouse glass in our skips. We recommend keeping the glass in sheets, taping the edges and protecting it with cardboard. Then, carefully place the glass into your skip to ensure it doesn’t shatter. It’s a great way of making room in your garden when you no longer need your greenhouse or if you’re replacing it.

Make sure you order a skip large enough to handle your greenhouse glass along with any other waste you’re looking to get rid of. Alternatively, if you have a large quantity of glass from multiple sources, speak to our dedicated team about what we recommend to help you easily dispose of it.

Remember that laminated glass is charged separately by tonnage.

How is glass recycled?

The glass you dispose of through our skip hire and waste collection services is processed at our facility so that it is ready for recycling. That means you can count on us to help minimise the impact of your waste on the environment, and you can have peace of mind that your glass isn’t being wasted.

Your glass will go through several stages to get it ready for recycling. First, different materials such as paper and plastic will be separated out using air, then magnets will be used to extract any metal components. Finally, your glass will be separated by colour and then washed so that it is categorised and clean, ready to be crushed and melted before being put into manufacturing new items such as jars, bottles, windows and more.

You can dispose of glass and other waste through our domestic skip hire, commercial skip hire and waste removal services here at Reston Waste. We help London to recycle the maximum amount of waste from our base in London and our friendly team is just a call away if you have questions about glass disposal before booking any service.

Order a skip online today or contact us for further details.