Report an overflowing recycling bank

Published: 21 June 2022

Recycling teams in Exeter are working around the clock to clear a backlog of glass bottles at recycling banks around the city and have asked people to remain patient whilst the work is carried out.

Only this morning an overflowing site in St Thomas was cleared of all glass bottles and teams will be working to clear as many sites as possible over the coming days. In the meantime, people are being requested not to leave glass bottles at the sites if the banks are full but take them home instead until banks have been emptied.

Cllr Ruth Williams, Lead Councillor for Recycling and Waterways, said the Council’s glass recycling collection vehicle had been fixed recently but pressures around driver shortages being experienced across the country were also having an effect in Exeter.

“We’ve had to prioritise household waste and recycling collections and that has meant that in recent weeks, drivers have been diverted away from collecting from bottle banks and deployed elsewhere in the city. We’re now starting to get on top of the situation and clear sites where the bottles are overflowing. I am very grateful to our office staff who have gone above and beyond to get out and about in Exeter and help clear the sites.  I can only apologise and ask people to remain patient whilst we endeavour to catch up and clear the remaining sites. If the sites are full I would ask people to kindly take the bottles home with them until the sites are cleared and once again able to accept glass bottles for recycling.”

People can help by reporting an overflowing recycling bank on the City Council website, at Report an overflowing recycling bank - Exeter City Council