Fibreglass Recycling
Old fibreglass can be difficult to manage because products such as panels, pipes, roofing, vehicle parts and manufacturing offcuts are often bulky and cannot be placed in a standard plastic recycling stream.
Business Waste arranges collection of suitable fibreglass and glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) waste across the UK. Tell us what material you have, how much you need removed, and whether it is a one-off load or a regular waste stream. We’ll confirm the suitable container, collection schedule and available treatment route.
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Get a fast FREE quote for fibreglass recycling
- Free quote within 1 hour
- Commercial GRP and fibreglass
- FREE bins and delivery
- Nationwide UK coverage
What fibreglass waste can we collect?
We can arrange collection of multiple fibreglass items, including:
- GRP sheets and manufacturing offcuts
- Fibreglass pipes and panels
- Roofing and cladding
- Protective barriers and screens
- Vehicle body panels and bumpers
- Bathtubs and suitable bathroom products
- Boat and marine components
Material must be assessed before collection, particularly where the fibreglass is combined with other materials or contaminated with chemicals, oils, coatings or hazardous substances.
How fibreglass waste collection works
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Tell us about the material
Let us know what the fibreglass is, the quantity, your location and whether you need a one-off or regular collection.
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Agree the storage and collection setup
We confirm the appropriate container based on the size, shape and volume of the GRP you produce.
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Keep fibreglass separate
GRP should be kept separate from standard plastic recycling and other materials where required so it reaches the correct treatment route.
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Arrange collection
A licensed waste carrier removes the material on the agreed schedule and transfers it to an authorised facility.
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Keep your waste records
Business Waste Ltd provides the relevant Duty of Care paperwork and Waste Transfer Note for the collection.
What is glass reinforced plastic?
Glass reinforced plastic, also known as fibreglass, is a composite material made by reinforcing a plastic resin with glass fibres. It’s a type of plastic reinforced with fine fibres made of glass and resin. This makes it a strong, durable, lightweight, and flexible material with many uses.
GRP is waterproof, easy to repair, and rot- and impact-resistant. There are more than 40,000 applications of fibreglass across many industries. It’s used for everything from boat manufacturing to wind turbines.
Common items made from or that include fibreglass are:
- Swimming pools
- Boat hulls
- Protective barriers
- Surfboards
- Circuit boards
- Car bumpers
- Bathtubs
- Windows
- Roofing
- Spas and hot tubs
Can you recycle fibreglass?
You can recycle fibreglass, but the process is less common than recycling other types of plastics and comes with various challenges. Recycling fibreglass is possible at facilities with the appropriate equipment. However, this equipment is expensive, which is why many waste management sites and recycling centres don’t recycle fibreglass waste.
With more products made from GRP, there’s now more waste produced and a greater demand to recycle fibreglass. For example, wind turbine blades made from fibreglass last for 20 years and then need disposing of. Unfortunately, many have been landfilled. This isn’t a sustainable solution with wind turbine blades expected to create 200,000 tons of waste by 2034.
The main challenge with recycling fibreglass is that shredding or grinding destroys many of the glass fibres. This reduces their size, strength, and usefulness for future applications. There’s also no easy way to separate the plastic and glass fibres to recycle and process each material individually.
Due to the glass fibre content, you can’t recycle fibreglass or GRP with other types of plastic. Therefore, it must not be stored with plastic waste to avoid contaminating the stream. It’s also tricky to recycle fibreglass at home, as few local authorities or councils will recycle fibreglass waste. You can contact us at Business Waste for help.
How is fibreglass recycled?
Fibreglass is more difficult to recycle than many single-polymer plastics due to its combination of fibres. Available recycling and recovery routes depend on the material, contamination, local infrastructure and the facility receiving the waste.
Some GRP can be mechanically processed by cutting or grinding it into smaller material for use in other products. Other composite recovery technologies are also developing, but recycling routes are more limited than for common plastics such as HDPE or polypropylene.
Why is fibreglass
recycling important?
Fibreglass is durable and difficult to process once it becomes waste. Keeping GRP separate gives it the best chance of reaching an appropriate recycling or recovery route rather than being mixed with general waste.
For businesses producing regular fibreglass offcuts or bulky GRP products, a dedicated collection helps keep the material contained and makes collection planning easier.
How to dispose
of GRP
To dispose of GRP waste from your business you must arrange commercial waste collection by licensed waste carriers. It can’t be stored and removed with the rest of your plastic waste, unlike most other types of plastic. Instead, you should dispose of GRP separately and responsibly by following these steps:
- Start with a free no obligation quote for GRP/fibreglass waste collection. Simply tell us the amount of waste fibreglass you’ve got so we can work out the best type and size of bins, how often you need them collected, and your UK location for a bespoke quote.
- We’ll deliver free bins to store your fibreglass safely onsite – you just cover the collection costs. Place your old fibreglass products and offcuts in these bins and containers within their max fill lines and weight limits, separate from other plastic waste.
- Take your bins over to the agreed collection point ahead of the removal time. Licensed waste carriers will come and remove your fibreglass waste and replace your bins if you’ve arranged regular collections.
- The fibreglass waste will be transported to an appropriate waste management facility that has the equipment and processes in place to recycle fibreglass. It will be checked, sorted, and recycled via the method the facility uses.
- You’ll receive a free duty of care certificate confirming the safe, legal, and responsible storage, removal, and disposal of your waste fibreglass.
Disposing of GRP at home is tricky as most councils and local authorities don’t accept fibreglass in domestic recycling bins. Many household waste recycling centres (HWRCs) also don’t accept old fibreglass for recycling. This means it often ends up with general waste, which is sent to landfill or for incineration. There are other ways to dispose of GRP at home:
- Donate to a charity – consider offering any unwanted fibreglass products to a local charity or community cause, even if they’re not in good condition. Some charities focus on upcycling items including those made from fibreglass such as old boats. Either way, it keeps the material out of landfill.
- Sell waste to a salvager – some people and companies may pay you for old products made from GRP or sheets of fibreglass. Search for any salvagers in your area to see if they’re interested in your waste GRP.
- Contact Business Waste – we can help with some one-off collections of waste fibreglass from your home or business. Call our team or contact us online for a free quote and a fast solution to dispose of old fibreglass.
Which businesses
produce fibreglass waste?
Any organisation that produces waste fibreglass should send it for recycling. Recycling fibreglass can save your company money on commercial waste disposal costs. Common industries that need to recycle fibreglass include:
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Garages
Car bumpers, doors, hoods, timing belts, and other car parts
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Construction
Insulation, cladding, roofing, pipes, and screens
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Factories
Offcuts of fibreglass sheets from manufacturing processes
Arrange waste fibreglass collection
Need to remove old GRP products or regular fibreglass offcuts? Tell us what material you have, the approximate volume and your location. We’ll confirm the available container, collection frequency and treatment route.
Fibreglass recycling FAQs
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What can recycled fibreglass be used for?
Most recycled fibreglass is either crushed or heated in processes that destroy the material so it can’t be used like new fibreglass. Instead, crushed or powdered fibreglass is used to strengthen concrete or added to asphalt. Fibreglass waste that’s heated through the process of pyrolysis creates a pyro-oil, pyro-gas, and solid by-product.
The pyro-gas can be used as an alternative to natural gas and as a fuel for the burners of pyrolysis reactors – ensuring it’s self-sustainable. Pyro-oil is often blended with other fuel oils as its less valuable than crude oil.
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Is fibreglass hazardous waste?
Fibreglass is not a type of hazardous waste despite being made from a combination of chemicals. It’s a type of plastic that’s not classed as hazardous. However, proper disposal and recycling of fibreglass must be done where possible to prevent the risk of environmental damage if waste fibreglass ends up in landfill.
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Is fibreglass biodegradable?
Fibreglass is not biodegradable. Microorganisms will not break down waste fibreglass and weather conditions, chemicals, and other environmental factors won’t help GRP decompose. It won’t rot either, though exposure to UV can make it brittle. Therefore, waste fibreglass should never go to a landfill site or be sent for composting.
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Why is fibreglass used so much?
Fibreglass is used in a wide range of products and applications for a few reasons, as it’s:
- Cheaper than the likes of carbon fibre
- Stronger than most metals with a similar weight
- Flexible for moulding into many shapes
- Impact resistant and shatterproof
- Non-magnetic and non-conductive
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What is the lifespan of fibreglass?
The lifespan of fibreglass depends on its application. There’s no set number of years fibreglass will last, and it can be affected by environmental factors and human interaction (such as physical damage). The general lifespan of various fibreglass products are:
- Fibreglass insulation lasts between 80 and 100 years
- Fibreglass boats and roofing can last for up to 50 years
- Wind turbine blades made from fibreglass have a lifespan of 20 years
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What recycling code is fibreglass?
Even though fibreglass is technically a type of plastic it doesn’t fall into one of the seven plastic recycling codes due to its glass contents. It’s a composite material, made from more than two materials with different physical or chemical properties. The plastic and glass fibres can’t be separated easily, so fibreglass isn’t recycled with any type of plastic.
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Published 17th July 2023 by Mark Hall. Last modified 13th August 2026