Residents will now no longer need to separate their coloured glass bottles and jars for recycling because new technology.

New optical sorting technology at the plant were the Council sends its glass for recycling now allows glass to be colour separated automatically ready to be turned into new glass products. This change means that all glass recycling bins at bring sites across the borough will be able to take glass bottles and jars of any colour.

Currently, residents have to colour separate their glass into clear, green and brown glass before recycling to ensure that it can continue to be made into new glass bottles and jars. In the past unsorted collected glass can only be used for road aggregate, which has a much lower end value and can only be used once.

Cllr Julian Ellacott, Executive Member for Environment, said: “The change will not only make it easier for residents to recycle but will also bring a number of other benefits too. The mixed glass will still be sorted so it can be recycled into new glass bottles and jars, just as it previously was.

“In addition, in the past the different coloured glass bins fill up at different rates, meaning they are emptied at different times. By collecting mixed class we will be able to reduce the number of collection journeys made by our recycling vehicles as well as the mileage on those journeys, saving time and money.”

The Council has been changing the signs over on the glass recycling bins at its bring sites to make residents aware they can now take mixed glass.

The new operation, in partnership with Recresco Ltd, has been subject to a three month trial to ensure that it was workable, sustainable and cost effective.

Any contaminated material in the loads (only about 5 percent) is used for aggregate but none of the collected product goes to landfill.