GLASS collected by a Wee County couple who stepped in after council kerbside uplifts stopped is being recycled in Alloa.

Fledging local business The Bottle Genies is being supported by the O-I glass plant in Alloa, where glass uplifted locally is being recycled into fresh containers.

As reported in August, Tillicoultry's Scott and Anne Andrew decided to start a business uplifting bottles and jars after Clackmannanshire Council axed the kerbside collection of blue boxes in favour of glass banks in the community.

The Bottle Genies have been offering fortnightly or monthly uplifts since then, but having to pay for drop offs at the council's Forthbank centre was always a sticking point.

O-I stepped in, however, and the bottles collected now go to its Kelliebank plant for initial storage.

The items then go the Newhouse plant near Motherwell for processing into crunched glass before being returned to Alloa to be turned into glass in the town's plant.

O-I says this reduces the Wee County's carbon footprint and keeps the process as local as possible.

It is understood glass recycled by the council goes to a firm in England which then processes it and distributes it to firms across the UK and Europe.

Scott Andrew, director at The Bottle Genies, said: "It makes no sense for Clackmannanshire glass to leave the town when we have Scotland's leading bottle maker here.

"We are grateful that O-I has recognised the potential for our company and provided us with this local storage.

"Now we can concentrate on offering more people in Alloa and the surrounding areas the opportunity to recycle their glass into new glass bottles."

Axing the kerbside glass collections, which had been in place since 1999 then in partnership with Alloa Community Enterprises, was agreed in the council budget in 2018 for a £159,000 saving.

Implementation of the plans was delayed this April over concerns for the elderly and disabled who can apply for assisted collections with the local authority.

Glass banks are in place for people in the community but Scott and Anne wanted to make sure kerbside collections do continue so they started their own business doing just that.

Historically, the local authority and its residents have performed very well in recycling with high rates that ranked Clackmannanshire third in Scotland in 2017-18.

Gordon Leckie, plant manager at O-I in Alloa, added: "We are committed to supporting local communities and ensuring that glass is recycled into new packaging.

"Glass is the most sustainable packaging of all and The Bottle Genies provide vital raw materials which reduce energy use and close the loop locally on recycling.

"We are delighted to help them succeed with their growth plans."

Visit thebottlegenies.com to sign up for the collection service.