Bring Banks

Sligo’s Bring Banks – Free bottle, jar and aluminium can recycling for domestic households.  

We are always looking for more sites so if your community would like some bottle banks, please contact us on 071 911 1454/911 1457.  If the banks are nearly full please contact 01 685 4400 or Sligo County Council on 071 911 1457 or 911 1454.  

There are also 2 recycling centres in County Sligo at Tubbercurry and Deep Water Quay, Sligo for recycling of glass, cans and a wider variety of materials – see Recycling Facilities for further details.  

Glass Recycling for Domestic Users

Glass makes up between 6-9% of the typical domestic wheelie bin.  But the types of glass suitable for reprocessing are green, clear, brown glass bottles and jars only.  You have to separate the glass and place it in the appropriately coloured bank.

Who recycles our glass? 

Glassco Recycling Ltd provide and service the bring bank networks in County Sligo. This service is paid for by Sligo County Council.  All collected glass is then brought to be prepared for crushing into cullet. However much preparation is required before this stage, as the collectors are reporting greater volumes of contaminants – incorrect material in the bottle banks such as plastic/lids/cans. In some cases this can be as much as 40%. Larger contaminants must be removed manually. This task could be avoided if the general public were more careful in how they use bring banks.

Users of the Bottle Bank facility often query why all the brown, green and clear glass are segregated at recycling stage but presume that all glass is mixed together when the Glassco Recycling Ltd lorry empties the banks.   This is not the case as the body of the lorry is separated into 3 different compartments as the pictures hereunder show.

What type of Glass is NOT suitable for recycling?

Some glass is processed in a different manner and can affect the quality of the recycling glass.  Thus - the following cannot be placed into a bottle bank:  

Pyrex, mirrors, window glass, plate glass, ceramics, tiles, light bulbs or drinking glasses. 

Remember glass bottles and jars only.

Hazardous Glass

Due to the chemicals contained in fluorescent light bulbs, they should only be safely disposed of in a Recycling Facilities.  

Can I recycle glass in my kerbside recycling collections?

Glass bottles and jars are NOT accepted as part of any kerbside household recycling collections for health and safety reasons. 

Misuse of Banks

Unfortunately in Co. Sligo, as in other Counties, there are still some problems with how bring sites are used.  Illegal dumping of refuse including recyclable materials, empty boxes, bags, etc, being left at the sites create problems and is an offence under the Litter Pollution Act 1997 – 2009 (as amended).  CCTV cameras are in operation at a number of our Bring Bank sites.   Offenders, if caught, could be liable to an on-the-spot fine of €150 or maximum penalty of €3,000 in court.

Other problems created are the placing of incorrect materials in a certain bring banks – e,g. putting cans in a bottle bank, putting plastic bags in bring banks.   

If Bring Banks are full, it is illegal to leave your bottles beside the bank – go to another site or return later when the banks have been emptied.  If a bank is full please ring free-phone 1800 661 551.  

Bring banks are not for commercial use

Sometimes bring banks are used illegally by commercial outlets eg. Public Houses.  Their large volumes of glass flood the banks, leaving little capacity for the domestic user and upset the collection pattern. Bring banks are intended for household glass only. Commercial outlets must deal with and pay for their own waste management/ recycling services and stop free loading on this public service.

Aluminium recycling at bring bank sites

Bring sites usually include blue panelled receptacles for Aluminium beverage cans. You should not recycle steel food cans in the Aluminium banks but instead place them into your recycling bag.

Textiles recycling at Bring Banks 

Some sites also have green textile banks for recycling of clothes and other materials.  Textiles should always be clean and dry before they are deposited.

Plastic Bottle Recycling

Plastic bottles can not be recycled at Bring Banks, however, the can now be recycled in kerbside collections and at the county’s recycling centres.  

Energy and resource conservation

Glass is one of the most suitable materials for the recycling process. In the manufacture of new glass, up to 40% of the raw material may be in the form of cullet (recycled crushed glass bottles and jars). Recycling can achieve considerable savings in raw material and energy needs.

The addition of cullet assists in the melting process and as recycled glass melts at a lower temperature in the furnace, less fuel is required. On average, for every additional 10% of cullet used in the raw material batch, energy costs are reduced by 1%.

We are always looking for more sites so if your community would like some bottle banks, please contact us on 071 911 1454.  If the banks are nearly full please contact 01 685 4400 or Sligo County Council on 071 911 1457 or 911 1454.