Can you recycle mirrors?
General waste (small, wrapped) or recycling centre; donate if intact
Mirror glass has a reflective backing coating that makes it unrecyclable with container glass — never put mirrors in the bottle bank or glass bin. Intact mirrors are ideal for charity shops, Freecycle or reuse shops at recycling centres. Broken mirrors should be wrapped and put in general waste, or taken to the recycling centre's general/flat glass skip if large.
Tips
- Donate intact mirrors — they resell well
- Wrap broken mirror glass thickly before binning
Which bin does it go in?
General waste (small, wrapped) or recycling centre; donate if intact
Before throwing it away, see reuse, repair and donation routes.
Background: The 10 recycling mistakes that ruin lorry-loads.
Also searched as: mirror glass, dressing table mirror.
✓ Checked against current UK guidance: 14 Jul 2026. Spot an error or an out-of-date rule?