Purple-lid glass bin

When glass is not separated from your other recyclables it creates problems for our recycling system. It often breaks into small pieces and gets mixed in with plastics and paper, making them harder to recycle. 

To prevent this from happening you should recycle glass bottles and jars by putting them in your purple-lid glass bin, however, not all glass can be recycled. Drinking glasses and other household glass should all go in your rubbish bin. Only clean glass bottles and jars, without lids, are accepted.

By separating glass jars and bottles using your glass bin we’re able to use what you throw away to make new glass products such as bottles, jars and even to fix local roads.

For a quick reference guide you can download our glass bin poster which shows what can and can't go in your bin.

Download glass bin poster

You can also bring any excess glass bottles or jars to our Yarra's Recycling Drop-off Centre in Clifton Hill. 

 
Watch full screen video on YouTube.

Your glass bin 

All Yarra residents (except those in the former Abbotsford trial area) now have an 80-litre purple-lid glass bin. This bin is for glass only. 

If you live in an apartment block, you'll have a shared bin. 

If you live in Abbotsford, you have already been using a separate glass bin. You now will have the option to swap over to a new 80-litre glass bin following the initial rollout.

If you are a business in Yarra currently using our rubbish and recycling service you'll also have an 80-litre glass bin.

How to use your purple-lid glass bin

This list helps you to understand what can and can’t go in your glass bin.

What can go in:

  • Glass jars (empty, no lids)
    • Pasta sauce, jam, condiments etc
  • Glass bottles, including broken bottles (empty, no lids)
    • Wine bottles
    • Beer bottles
    • Spirit (alcohol) bottles
    • Olive oil and sauce bottles

What can't go in:  

Different types of glass melt at different temperatures, and so can’t all be recycled. This means we can’t accept the following in the glass bin.

  • Drinking glasses
  • Broken windows and windows
  • Broken light bulbs
  • Vases
  • Perfume or makeup containers
  • Lids, corks or bottle tops

These items belong in your red-lid rubbish bin.

Remember:

  • Make sure all jars and bottles are empty and clean
  • Remove lids from all jars and bottles
  • Metal lids can go in the yellow-lid recycling bin, but all other lids should go in the rubbish bin
  • Any bottles that contain cigarette butts will be sent to landfill
  • No need to remove labels