|
Recycling your household batteries just got a whole lot easier! We’re now collecting household batteries right from your kerbside for recycling. Residents just need to follow these simple steps:
-
Batteries: Veolia’s collection team will collect the most common household batteries, including D, C, AA, AAA, AAAA (1.5-volt), A23 (12-volt), PP3 (9-volt), CR2032 (3-volt), and LR44 (1.5-volt).
-
How to recycle: Place your used batteries in a clear bag, like a freezer or sandwich bag, and simply place it on top of your black wheelie bin on collection day. Our new waste collection vehicles have special compartments designed just for these batteries, ensuring they’re safely recycled.
-
Safety first: Please remember, batteries should never be placed inside your wheelie bin. Doing so can cause them to ignite during the waste compaction process, posing a significant fire hazard.
-
Exceptions: While we’ll gladly collect most household batteries, there are some exceptions: Car/moped batteries, lithium-ion (Li) power tool batteries, and vapes, should continue to be taken to our household recycling centres at Newtown Road, Newbury, or Padworth. To schedule a visit, book an appointment online.
For more information, please visit: www.westberks.gov.uk/hazardouswaste.
Please note this service is not available to residents that have a communal bin store
 From the beginning of October, the X34 will serve Donnington Heights, Love Lane and parts of Oxford Road. So why not use the bus to go into Newbury or Didcot to do some shopping, meet family and friends or to take advantage of onward transport connections.
The service is operated by Thames Travel (part of Oxford Bus Company) and runs between Newbury and Didcot via the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus. It is an hourly service operating Monday to Saturday.
The service between Newbury and the Harwell Campus (bus services already existed between Didcot and Harwell) have been made possible by funding from HM Government, given to West Berkshire Council and Oxfordshire County Council after submission of a Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) in October 2021.
 With your help we've made great strides in boosting recycling across West Berkshire, increasing our recycling rate from 49% to 54% in the last year.
- In 2021 we introduced collection points for plastic pots, tubs, and trays at our Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) and selected Mini Recycling Centres (MRCs). The following year we increased the number of MRCs for small electrical items and cartons.
- 2022 saw the introduction of the paint re-use scheme at our HWRCs
- Our separate weekly food waste collection service has already saved over 7,600 tonnes from landfill, which in turn has created soil conditioner right here in West Berkshire used by local landowners, landscapers and available for residents to collect during our biannual Soil Conditioner giveaways. Learn more by watching our binfluencer video.
- More recently, 2024 has seen new services such as: Battery collection at your doorstep, coffee pod and vape recycling at our Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs).
Thank you to everyone who does their bit to reduce, reuse & recycle. Let’s continue making West Berkshire greener and more sustainable. Rubbish and Recycling Collections - West Berkshire Council
 Have your say on the draft Waste Management Strategy survey which outlines a vision for a greener future, including:
- Increasing recycling rates to at least 60% by 2030.
- Cutting residual waste to 120kg per person per year by 2042.
- Helping West Berkshire achieve Net Zero by 2030.
- Keeping West Berkshire a great place to live and work.
- Leading by example for residents and businesses.
How to get involved: Please complete by midnight on 6 November 2024. Paper copies are available on request. Please email: recycle@westberks.gov.uk to request a copy.
Draft survey copies are also available at the Council Office Reception, Market Street, Newbury, RG14 5LD. Mondays - Thursdays 8:30am-5:00pm, and Fridays 8:30am-4:30pm.
In addition, there are drop-in sessions at local libraries where you can talk to a member of the team on the draft Waste Strategy – times and locations can be found here: http://www.westberks.gov.uk/draft-waste-management-strategy
Store Cupboard Cleaning Tips to Try by Alison Hallowell (PSG)
If, like me, you would like to cut down on the use of harsh (and in some cases harmful) chemicals when cleaning your home then maybe you need look no further than your kitchen cupboards. There are 3 in particular that I use regularly that are safe for humans and the environment. Do give them a try!
- Lemons
- Microwave - clean and freshen by popping a slice of lemon (or half a used one) into a bowl with a little water and microwave on full power for a minute or two until steaming. Leave for another minute or two and then wipe the inside.
- Kettle - to descale put juice and skins of a lemon into a kettle and cover with water. Bring to boil then leave for 30 minutes. Empty and rinse.
- Fridge - use a squirt of lemon juice on a damp cloth to wipe round the seals on your fridge door to kill/prevent bacteria, mould or mildew.
- Vinegar
- Windows and mirrors - wash with warm soapy water then spray with spirit vinegar. Wipe with a damp cloth, polish with soft dry cloth - a streak free shine!
- Bathroom Mould & Mildew - vinegar is known to help remove mildew & mould so is useful to clean bathroom tiles and shower curtains.
- Bicarbonate of Soda
- Oven - a paste made of bicarbonate of soda and water can be used on oven doors. Apply with a brush, leave overnight and wipe.
- Deodorise - a sprinkling of bicarb. can freshen/deodorise carpets, upholstery and even smelly trainers! Leave for 15 mins before vacuuming or tipping out.
Check out more cleaning ideas listed on the PSG website. Hope you find them useful! Alison
Purley Sustainability Group (PSG) is a community sustainability group for Purley on Thames. We are passionate about enhancing community wellbeing through projects that bring people together in order to improve our local environment and encourage sustainable living. We would love to hear from you. For more information: www.purleysustainability.co.uk info@purleysustainability.co.uk
|
Promoting the conservation and enjoyment of the West Berkshire countryside - Grassland Management
Since the 1930s, over 97% of our wildflower meadows have been lost. Where once thirty species of plant might bloom, in most of our fields there are now just six.
Grasslands are also an important carbon store for our planet. The West Berkshire Countryside Society’s volunteers are active in managing grassland from whole meadows to small patches and glades.
Grassland management is largely a late summer task. Its purpose is to reduce the dominance of aggressive and invasive plants - like nettles, bracken and blackthorn scrub – and allow more delicate grasses and wildflowers the space to grow and seed.
- We have trimmed the edges of paths and tracks to improve access for recreational activities, but also to help maintain a diversity of plants within the verges that might otherwise become covered in nettles and scrub;
- Raked cut grass from woodland glades to prevent the cuttings from re fertilising the soil, that creates ideal conditions for the rougher species;
- ‘Scalloped’ the edges of scrubby areas to encourage grassland flowers and create sheltered areas for insects;
- Hand-pulled plants from meadows threatened by the invasion of a single species to the detriment of a rich and diverse natural habitat.
All of these techniques contribute to the biodiversity of our environment by encouraging a greater variety of plants to thrive. These in turn are the basis of the food chain that links plants, through insects and other invertebrates, to birds and mammals.
 The 2024 Newbury Show 'Trentham Environment Award' was presented to Anna Forbes at Action River Kennet (ARK) for their outstanding outreach work promoting local rivers and their ecology through volunteer and educational programmes. They visit schools and local rivers with their 'River School' programme and also hold engaging hands-on volunteer activities on The River Pang, Kennet and Lambourn (including corporate volunteer days).
Runner up was The Nature Corridor Project by Friends of the Earth (Newbury) who were referred to by the judges as 'small but mighty'. This ambitious project links Newbury's Goldwell Park Lockdown Wood to the Lockdown Wood in Barn Crescent, with a corridor of habitats to attract wildlife & help nature and biodiversity in an urban environment. The project currently works with 12 local volunteers, 2 schools and the local community.
The Rural Craft Award 2024 was won by wood craftsmen who mainly source their timber from local woodlands and fallen trees (sustainable & local sources). The Winner was Kennet Valley Woodturners, who hold regular workshops in Beenham, public demonstrations and events, plus, help teach skills - keeping traditional and modern woodturning skills very much alive in West Berkshire. Neil Taylor was runner up with his hand-crafted elegant chairs and judges noted that they were exceptionally well finished using very traditional tools and wood finishes.
 West Berkshire Green Exchange (WBGE) luckily they had four gazebos at Newbury Show to help keep the rain off and to share the space with other local eco-groups including; Newbury Friends of the Earth (FOE), Hungerford Environmental Action Team (HEAT), Hungerford Food Community.
The volunteers were able to engage and share ideas with Show visitors over the two days giving solutions, advice and information about what we can do to help address the climate and biodiversity emergencies - from finding out what their climate footprint is, to advice on food, energy use, travel, health and wildlife.
Dr Pat Glover from Hungerford Environmental Action Team said “I was struck by how many people came and talked about the sustainable lifestyle choices they are already making, not only to reduce their impact on climate and nature, but also to reduce their household and travel bills, improve their health, and make their homes cosier. I was really encouraged!”
Newbury FOE coordinator Dr Susan Millington said “It was great to talk to people about simple measures we can all take in our gardens and public spaces to encourage wildlife, and make our town a more beautiful place.”
 Eco Friends joined the Thatcham Litter Pickers to complete the Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) Million Mile Clean Brand Audit last weekend. More than 30 volunteers picked 25 bags of rubbish in just one hour at Kennet Heath on Saturday, this rubbish was then sorted and a tally of the brands found was taken.
People were really interested in what we were doing and how this is going to be used to hold the plastic polluters to account. The more evidence that is gathered the more SAS can demand that producers reduce their plastic and switch to models of reuse and refill.
The worst offenders on the day and further information information can be found on www.eco-friends.org.uk.
 The Penny Post Eco Podcast spotlights inspiring green initiatives run by local residents, in their own words, plus local views on global issues.
Recent episodes cover: Newbury's community orchards with Growing Newbury Green's Tony Hammond, the impact of our pets on the environment with retired vet and horticulturist Jane Prior and conservation Pasture for Life farming with Liz Brunskill from Farncombe Farm in Lambourn.
|
