 Bin collections to start earlier due to heatwave
Your waste and recycling collections will start an hour earlier at 5:30am from next Monday (18 July) due to the ongoing heatwave. We hope an earlier start will protect our crew from the extreme heat.
In order to avoid being missed, please put your waste and recycling out the night before your collection day next week.
We are monitoring the weather forecast and will continue this earlier start all week if high temperatures persist.
Thank you for your cooperation in supporting our crews during the heatwave.
You can check your waste collection day on our website, if needed.
 Line your caddy with environmentally friendly items
To help tackle the climate emergency, we've decided not to supply any more food caddy liners, which are made of non-biodegradable single-use plastic.
Production and disposal of the caddy liners result in greenhouse gas emissions and often end up polluting our rivers and seas.
Instead of using a single-use plastic bag, you can line your kitchen caddy with a compostable liner, newspapers or any soft plastic bag that can easily be found at home, such as carrier bags, bread bags, cereal bags or fruit and vegetable bags.
You can also instead line the bottom with newspaper or used kitchen paper, emptying it into the outdoor caddy, and wash both between uses.
We understand from a survey conducted last October that when it comes to waste collections, the most important thing to our residents are the environment benefits. So, we've made the decision to stop supplying over 5 million single-use plastic kitchen caddy liners a year. We would appreciate your support in this decision as it is good for the environment.
For the same environmental concerns, we have also decided not to include food caddy liners in our annual delivery of blue bin bags to residents starting 2023.
Find out more at our website.
 Sign up to Emergency Alert
We’ve issued an Emergency Alert update this week due to the extremely hot weather expected.
These updates are only sent during extreme weather and emergency incidents in the borough, giving you key updates and safety information.
If there’s major disruption due to snow or another emergency, this will be where to get updates from us. If you’re not signed up, register to receive these using the button below.
 Help us make walking and cycling easier
We promote recycling and waste reduction because of our commitment to tackling the climate emergency and doing all we can to reduce the borough's carbon emissions.
Another important step in achieving this is reducing the number of cars on the roads by encouraging walking and cycling - and we want your views on two plans that could make this easier.
First, our draft Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP) is a strategic document which suggests improvements around the borough to help people walk, wheel, scoot or cycle. The finished version will be completed in autumn, and we are now inviting new ideas from residents.
We’re also inviting comments on our revised plans for a new £4 million cycling and walking link from Woodley to Palmer Park, at the Reading borough boundary, to be mostly funded by significant contributions from the Department for Transport’s Active Travel Fund.
 Apply now: free compost bags for community groups
Re3, our waste management partner, is now offering free bags of compost to local community groups.
Since its launch in May this year, the programme has been receiving very positive feedback.
We encourage community groups, if interested in using the compost for a community benefit, to apply now because a new batch of compost bags will be given out in August. Successful applicants will be contacted by re3 in the beginning of August.
Find out more about the free compost programme at the re3 website.
Currently, re3’s high-quality, peat-free compost is available for purchase at the household waste and recycling centres in Bracknell and Reading. It costs £4.00 per 40L bag or as a multi-deal offer of 3 bags for £11.
 Go plastic-free in the workplace
Plastic Free July® is a global movement to encourage people to reduce plastic waste for the whole month.
Last week, we shared tips on how single-use plastic waste can be reduced at home.
In fact, a lot of plastic is used in our workplaces as well. You can easily find plastic cups, cutlery, teabags, biscuit packets and more in your office pantry.
A research and consulting firm has suggested that the UK may be using as many as 5 billion disposable coffee cups a year.
You can play a part in reducing the amount of plastic used in your workplace. Here are some of the things that you can do whenever you go to work:
- Carry a bag for life or tote bag with you
- Keep a reusable coffee cup in your bag or on your desk
- Switch to loose-leaf tea or a tea-bag brand that doesn’t contain plastic
- Bring your lunch into work in reusable containers and use your own cutlery
- Carry a reusable water bottle
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