 Disposal of large unwanted items
It can be a headache to dispose of large unwanted furniture, such as old and worn-out sofas or mattress, which can’t be re-used or donated.
To help ease the hassle, we can collect a wide range of items including carpets, tables, beds, garden furniture and more. However, please be aware that items like pianos or DIY, clinical and hazardous waste can’t be collected using this service.
Taking place on Tuesdays or Wednesdays, our Large Unwanted Items Collection Service can be booked up to eight weeks in advance. It costs £58.10 for a collection of up to five items.
Once you’ve booked the service online, all you need to do is to leave your items outside the property the night beforehand and our team will pick them up by 4pm on the day.
If you can’t book online, call 0118 979 8298 to leave your name, collection address and a daytime contact number. Please note this is an unattended line.
 Home composting made easy
Almost one third of the waste sent to landfill in the UK could be turned into compost instead of being thrown away.
Home composting is beneficial because it enables you to put organic matter from your garden and kitchen back into the soil without loss of natural habitat. It also helps your garden retain moisture.
Home composting is not as difficult as you think. Simply follow the steps below:
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Find the right site for your bin - ideally a reasonably sunny place on bare soil.
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Gather the right ingredients – green materials like coffee grounds, tea bags and fruit peelings; brown materials like eggshells, cereal boxes, paper and woody pruning. Never compost cooked food.
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Fill your bin up – Place these in a compost bin together with your garden waste. An equal mix of green and brown materials is ideal.
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Add more while waiting – the composting process may take nine to 12 months. Turn your heap occasionally and add more ingredients to top up your compost.
When the compost turns into a crumbly, dark material like soil and smells earthy, it is ready to use.
For more on home composting, check out the Recycle Now website.
There is another way of getting high-quality, peat-free compost for your garden. Re3, our waste management partner, sells compost made from recycled garden waste by residents in the borough. Re3grow compost is available for purchase at the household waste and recycling centres in Bracknell and Reading, at a price of £4 per 40 litre bag or £11 for three bags.
 Waste less, Recycle more – Real Nappies
Did you know that real nappies, apart from being more eco-friendly, can also save you money?
It is estimated that a baby could have used 4,000 to 6,000 disposable nappies by the time he or she is potty-trained. In comparison, a baby only needs around 20 to 30 modern real nappies, saving parents around £200 to £500 over two and a half years. You can save even more if they are passed on for use by siblings.
Some benefits of real nappies:
- Reusable nappies are washable.
- Modern design makes real nappies very easy to use. Nearly all are fitted and fastened with poppers and/or Velcro straps instead of pins.
- Real nappies are mostly made of natural fabrics, which are comfortable and gentle on baby’s skin
- Using real nappies can reduce waste and carbon footprint. It is estimated that by using real nappies, the average household waste of families with babies can be halved.
 Real Nappy Cash Back Scheme
We offer cashback for parents in the borough who have bought real nappies for their babies. You can apply for £30 cashback following a purchase of real nappy products valued over £30.
Fill in the form downloadable from our website and email or post it back together with other documents required. We will credit the cashback to your bank account once your application is processed.
Call us on 0118 974 6000, if you have any questions about the scheme.
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