Central Bedfordshire Council is changing how people recycle in Central Bedfordshire — including areas on the border with Luton — to make the process easier for households. Starting 30 March 2026, residents will be able to put glass bottles and jars directly into their dry recycling bins or orange sacks rather than using kerbside glass boxes for collections; bottle banks will be removed across Central Bedfordshire once the new service is in place. If you currently receive a kerbside glass box, you should use your dry recycling bin after 30 March, but you may keep the box for other use.
Central Bedfordshire Council is also expanding its food waste service to include residents living in flats. Residents in these buildings will be given kitchen caddies and communal food waste bins; deliveries will take place from late February and throughout March. The council says these updates should reduce confusion: previous reports and analysis indicated that around 78%–80% of items currently found in standard black (residual) bins could be recycled.
Because of the new system, some households will see changes to their regular bin collection days starting in late March; affected households will receive a letter with their updated collection dates in advance. Councillor Tracey Wye, Executive Member for Sustainability and Climate Resilience, said the changes are intended to make recycling simpler for residents and urged people to check the council website for guidance on how to prepare items for collection.
While Luton is a separate unitary authority, Central Bedfordshire and Luton participate in a joint Minerals and Waste Local Plan for the wider area. The regional cooperation forms part of efforts to raise the local recycling rate from about 46% to a target of 55%. The changes follow DEFRA’s ‘Simpler Recycling’ policy requiring councils to collect a consistent set of materials by 31 March 2026.
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