Glass
Bin: Yellow glass containerInfinitely recyclable: shards become new bottles and jars.
Packaging glass can circulate endlessly — without loss of quality. Only packaging glass belongs in the glass container; heat-resistant glass, drinking glasses and window glass have a different composition and disturb the melting process.
This belongs in it
- Bottles for soft drinks, water, wine and beer
- Glass jars for jam, sauce and vegetables
- Glass flacons
- Lids may be removed and go to PMD or metal
This does not belong in it
- Drinking glasses and glass dishes
- Oven dishes and pyrex
- Window glass and mirrors
- Light bulbs and fluorescent tubes
- Porcelain, ceramics and earthenware
- Deposit bottles — return those instead
What happens to it?
- 1. Glass bin on site
Glass goes into a dedicated glass container in the canteen or kitchen.
- 2. Collection
The glass is collected and taken to a glass recycler.
- 3. Cleaning and sorting
Lids, labels and non-glass are removed; the glass is crushed into cullet and sorted by colour.
- 4. New bottles
The cullet goes into the glass furnace. Melting with cullet takes less energy than melting sand, soda and lime.
Where is it processed?
Processed at a glass recycler and then a glass works in the Netherlands or a neighbouring country.
This is what it becomes
Good to know
Rules and legislation
Glass appears in the Circular Materials Plan among the streams that must always be kept separate. For glass packaging there is an additional threshold of 240 litres when it arises incidentally.
Sources
The figures and rules on this page were checked against the following sources.
- Glas: wat mag in de glasbak en wat niet?Milieu Centraal
- Duurzaam GlasStichting Duurzaam Verpakkingsglas
- Gescheiden houden van bedrijfsafval en gevaarlijk afvalRijkswaterstaat — Circulair Materialenplan
Checked on 18 August 2026