Changes to Refuse and Recycling in March

One day before the government set mandatory date Central Beds will add glass collection to recycling.

Central Bedfordshire will join neighbouring counties, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire who already have glass collection in place.

Central Bedfordshire have announced From 30 March 2026, residents will be able to recycle glass bottles and jars straight from home, while new weekly food waste collections for flats.

Food waste collection from flats and glass collection are both mandatory requirements set by government with the closing date of 31st March 2026

What’s changing?

Place glass bottles and jars in dry recycling collection bin

Glass bottles and jars can be placed in kerbside dry recycling bins alongside paper, card, cans, tins, aluminium foil, plastic bottles, pots, tubs, trays and cartons. Residents should use the existing bins, with green or orange lids or your orange sack if you have one. If you currently receive a kerbside glass collection using a box, you will need to use your dry recycling bin after 30 March. You can keep the box for your own purpose. We will not remove the boxes.

Broken glass bottles and jars can also be placed in your kerbside recycling bin, if safe to do so. You can wrap broken glass bottles and jars, in paper, or place them in a cardboard box and put them in your recycling bin.

Drinking glasses, Pyrex, light bulbs, mirrors, ceramics and cookware should not be placed in recycling bins; ideally, these should be taken to your nearest Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC) for reuse or disposal. However, if they are broken, they can go in the black bin.

Bin collection day changes

To increase capacity for the new recycling service, we need to make changes to some bin lorry routes. All affected households will receive a letter with plenty of notice and updated collection dates will be published on the council’s website before the changes take effect.

New food waste collections for flats

Some residents living in flats have not always had food waste collections; from the end of March all residents living in flats will receive weekly food waste collections for the first time ensuring everyone across Central Bedfordshire can recycle food waste. Of course, residents living in houses already receive weekly food waste collections.

Food waste caddies and food waste bins for flats will be delivered from late February and throughout March in time for the new collections starting.

Removal of bottle banks

Once the service changes are in place, bottle banks will be removed across Central Bedfordshire. Glass recycling will continue to be available at HWRCs.

You can find out more about changes at https://www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/waste