How to Get Rid of Mirrors, Window Glass and Glass Table Tops in Leeds
Mirrors, broken windows, glass table tops and shower screens cannot go in your green bin or a bottle bank in Leeds, and the council’s unwanted items collection will not take them either. The free route is the tip. Leeds recycling centres accept sheet glass in the non-recyclable waste container, by car, with the glass wrapped. Small broken pieces of drinking glass and Pyrex can go in your black bin wrapped in paper. A mirror in good condition can go to a reuse charity. If the glass is too big, too heavy or already broken, Kruze collects it from inside your home from £24.99 for a single item, wrapped and carried out by two people. We are a licensed waste carrier (CBDU597687) and every job comes with a waste transfer note. This guide explains why bottle banks refuse flat glass, how to wrap a broken pane safely, and which route suits each piece.
Why won’t the bottle bank take a mirror or window glass?
Bottle banks and the green bin are for empty glass bottles and jars only. Leeds City Council says glass collected that way is re-melted in Yorkshire and can be back on the shelf as a new bottle or jar within 30 days. That process needs container glass and nothing else.
Window panes, mirrors, drinking glasses and ovenproof dishes are made differently. Mirrors have a metal and paint backing, toughened glass is heat treated, and Pyrex melts at a different temperature. A small amount can spoil a whole load. The council’s own glass page lists window panes, light bulbs and drinking glasses as items to take to a household waste recycling centre instead. Source: Leeds City Council, glass recycling, checked 27/10/2026.
Where can each type of household glass go in Leeds?
The council’s A to Z of waste disposal gives a separate answer for each kind of glass. This table puts them side by side, checked on 27/10/2026 against the Leeds A to Z of reusing, recycling and waste disposal.
| Glass item | Green bin or bottle bank | Leeds tip | Council collection | Kruze |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bottles and jars | Yes | Yes | Not needed | Yes, with other waste |
| Window panes and sheet glass | No | Yes, non-recyclable container | No, windows refused | Yes, from £24.99 |
| Mirrors | No | Yes, wrapped | No, mirrors refused | Yes, from £24.99 |
| Glass table tops | No | Yes, wrapped | No, glass items refused | Yes, from £24.99 |
| Shower screens | No | Yes, wrapped | No, glass items refused | Yes, from £24.99 |
| Drinking glasses and Pyrex | No | Ask staff | No | Yes, with other waste |
| uPVC windows with frames | No | Yes, general waste container | No | Yes, priced by van space |
For drinking glasses and Pyrex that cannot be reused, the council’s advice is to wrap them in paper and put them in your black bin. Pyrex and glassware in good condition can go to a charity shop.
Will Leeds City Council collect a mirror or glass table?
No. The unwanted items collection lists glass items including mirrors, greenhouses, fish tanks and fluorescent lights among the things it will not collect. It also refuses window frames and windows, and any furniture with a mirror attached, such as a mirrored wardrobe door. Furniture with ordinary glass panels is accepted only if the glass is removed, or if that is not possible, has cardboard taped securely on both sides.
That matters for glass dining tables and display cabinets. If the glass top lifts off, the frame can go on a council collection as one item and the glass has to go another way. Our guide to the Leeds council bulky waste collection explains the five item limit and the £30 charge for extra collections.
Can I take broken glass to the tip in Leeds?
Yes. Leeds recycling centres take sheet glass in the non-recyclable waste container. Wrap it before it goes in the car, for your own hands as much as anyone else’s. You need to live in the Leeds City Council area and arrive by car or bicycle. A van or trailer needs a permit, and staff cannot help you unload, so a large mirror or a 1.5 metre table top has to come out of the car safely on your own.
Before you go, note that Kirkstall moved to winter hours on 26 October 2026, 8am to 4pm with last entry 15 minutes before closing, so an after work trip is no longer possible there. And the tip is for household waste only. A glazier or builder bringing in window glass from a customer’s job is trade waste, and the council warns that trade waste at a recycling centre can lead to a fine or prosecution. Check the full list of refused items on our page on what Leeds tips won’t take.
How do I wrap a broken mirror or window pane safely?
Take ten minutes over it.
- Wear work gloves and long sleeves.
- Tape the cracks first. Run strips of parcel or masking tape across a cracked pane or mirror, both sides if you can reach. It holds the pieces together when you lift.
- Sandwich it in cardboard. Two sheets of flat cardboard, one each side, taped round all four edges. Old flattened boxes work well.
- Mark it. Write “BROKEN GLASS” on the cardboard so whoever lifts it next knows.
- Small shards go in a box. Sweep up loose pieces with a dustpan, put them in a small sealed box or a few layers of newspaper, and label it.
- Carry it upright. A large pane carried flat can flex and crack further.
Toughened glass from a shower screen or patio table shatters into small cubes. Sweep them into a strong bag inside a box, never loose into a bin bag.
Can I give away a mirror or glass furniture instead?
If it is intact and clean, often yes. Leeds City Council’s list of reuse organisations notes that Leeds and Moortown Furniture Store takes mirrors as well as furniture. Freecycle and Leeds Freegle are also listed by the council, and large framed mirrors and glass coffee tables tend to go quickly on local selling groups.
When is it worth paying for glass collection?
Pay when the free routes cannot do it safely. That usually means the piece is too big for one person or most cars, such as mirrored wardrobe doors or a full height shower screen, or it is already broken, or it is part of a bigger clear out where glass goes in the van with everything else. Old windows and screens removed by a tradesperson are their waste to take away, so ask them first.
Kruze is a registered waste carrier, licence CBDU597687, checkable on the Environment Agency register. We wrap and carry the glass from where it sits, and you get a transfer note. A single mirror or table top starts from £24.99, a quarter van load from £50. For larger amounts from a business, see our glass waste collection service, and the full price list is on rubbish removal cost in Leeds.
FAQs
Can I put a broken mirror in my black bin in Leeds?
The council’s A to Z does not list mirrors, and it sends sheet glass to the recycling centre. Small pieces of drinking glass and Pyrex can go in the black bin wrapped in paper. A whole or large broken mirror should go to the tip, wrapped and labelled, or be collected.
Does Leeds recycle window glass?
Not through the green bin or bottle banks. Sheet glass taken to a Leeds recycling centre goes in the non-recyclable waste container rather than the glass recycling, because it cannot be melted down with bottles and jars.
How much does it cost to get rid of a glass table top in Leeds?
With Kruze, from £24.99 as a single item, wrapped and carried out. If the frame is going too, the pair is usually still a single item or a small part of a quarter van load from £50.
Will you take old windows after a replacement?
Yes. Glass windows and uPVC frames are priced by van space. If your window fitter is replacing them, ask whether removal of the old units is included first, because a trader should take away the waste from their own job.
Kruze is a licensed waste carrier (CBDU597687) based in Leeds, serving Leeds, Bradford, Halifax, Huddersfield, Wakefield, Harrogate and Barnsley. Updated 27/10/2026.
Send a photo of the glass on WhatsApp for a fixed price, or call 07436 120271. We answer 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
