Kerbside glass recycling scheme is launched for the first time in Portsmouth by two pals

TWO friends are hoping to do their bit to boost recycling with their innovative new start-up.
Photo©: Darren O'Brien/Meta-4Photo©: Darren O'Brien/Meta-4
Photo©: Darren O'Brien/Meta-4

Exasperated from seeing glass recycling banks overflowing, Oliver Oakley, from Fareham, and his business partner Owen Horsley, from Gosport, have set up Just Glass – Portsmouth’s first kerbside glass recycling scheme.

They offer households in Portsmouth, as well as Gosport and Fareham, and surrounding areas, an easy way to recycle for a monthly £7.99 subscription fee.

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Customers receive a Just Glass container to fill, which is then emptied on the last Sunday of the month.

Overflowing bottle banksOverflowing bottle banks
Overflowing bottle banks

Oliver, 27, said: ‘The idea came about because we were consuming a lot of glass-based products, which in turn produced a lot of glass waste.

‘Every time we did a trip to the bottle banks we noticed they were forever full and overflowing.

‘We then looked into what services were offered by our local council in the form of waste collections and noticed that glass collection wasn’t a service that was offered. However numerous councils around the UK do offer this.

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‘We asked around and to our disappointment we found that a lot of glass was being discarded in the general waste bin at home. Therefore not being recycled responsibly and ending up at landfill.

L to R: Owen Horsley, from Gosport, and his business partner Oliver Oakley, from Fareham, have set up Just Glass - Portsmouth’s first kerbside glass recycling scheme. 
L to R: Owen Horsley, from Gosport, and his business partner Oliver Oakley, from Fareham, have set up Just Glass - Portsmouth’s first kerbside glass recycling scheme.
L to R: Owen Horsley, from Gosport, and his business partner Oliver Oakley, from Fareham, have set up Just Glass - Portsmouth’s first kerbside glass recycling scheme.

‘We then came about our idea of offering a home collection service, and so far it has been well received.

‘We offer convenience to the customer, in the form of having somewhere to put their glass waste other than in the normal waste bin, but at the same time we ensure it goes to a recycling plant and does indeed get recycled as opposed to ending up in landfill.

‘A big part of our idea, with recycling in mind, is saving the planet. Convenience just comes with it.’

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The pair, who met at junior school, have also pledged to donate 10 per cent of all profits to Portsmouth-based ocean conservation charity Just One Ocean.

Oliver said: ‘We feel this is our way of giving back into an environmentally friendly charity, with the oceans being a hot topic. The charity is also local to us. We hope to be a great donor.’

The service launched in September and Oliver and Owen, 28, have been growing their business around their full-time jobs. After a slow start, they have just started to market their service and hope to expand their customer base.

For more go to justglass.uk

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