 Let’s take all food waste out of blue bags
It's currently Zero Waste Week (5 - 9 September). As food waste is a huge contributor to climate change, let's look at what more can be done to avoid sending food waste to landfill.
Thanks to your continued support, the amount of food waste collected from residents has been increasing since the service started in 2019.
In the last two years, the amount of food waste in the blue rubbish bags has gone down from 24 per cent to 21 per cent. It is a significant achievement, given over 6,000 tonnes of food waste is produced in the borough a year.
Yet, we can all take a step further to keep food waste out of our blue bags completely.
If all food waste in every household is recycled, the borough’s carbon emissions could be greatly reduced. Also, as it costs about 50 per cent less to recycle food waste than to dispose of it in the blue rubbish bags, the council would be able to make savings for other resident services.
 Free food waste caddy and outdoor container
Keeping a food waste caddy in a prominent spot in your kitchen can help you recycle more.
Once it’s full, transfer it to your outdoor food waste bin, which should always be locked properly, so that it can’t be opened by animals and the waste inside won’t spill out. To lock the bin, put its handle all the way to the front.
If you need a new or replacement indoor caddy or outdoor container, pop into our office at Shute End, Wokingham or the library in Woodley, Lower Earley or Wokingham town centre.
You can also order it online on our website and we will arrange to deliver it to you. The service is free.
 Compost your food waste at home
Did you know you only need three things to make a successful compost heap in your garden? They are waste, air and water.
Home composting is a good way to reduce the amount of food waste sent to landfill. Home-made compost is a soil improver, which boosts fertility and helps plants build up resistance to disease and insect attacks.
Find out more on how to start composting at home using your kitchen scraps on the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust website.
 Top tips for starting university
Cooking is probably one of the many challenges that young people will face when they are away from home to start university on their own.
A lot of food waste may be created as they learn how to cook by themselves. Here are some handy tips for you to share with them:
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Shop only for what is needed: Plan all meals for the week ahead and shop weekly to avoid over-shopping or having ingredients go off in the back of the fridge.
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Cook food in bulk: Cook dishes that can be split into meal-sized portions, put them in reusable food containers and freeze them.
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Use the freezer: Put food in the freezer to cook later. Freeze leftovers too, if there are any.
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Defrost correctly: Once food has been defrosted, use it within 24 hours and cook it until steaming hot before serving.
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Check date labels on food: Food can be eaten until and on the use-by date. After that date, don't eat, cook or freeze the food. As for the best before date, food will be safe to eat even if it’s passed that date but may not be at its best. Check the food if there is any mould or sniff it to see if it has gone off. To learn more, visit the Food Standards Agency website.
 Another fly-tipper caught and fined
Fly-tipping is one of the key areas that our in-house anti-social behaviour team is tasked to tackle.
In previous issues of the newsletters, we shared fly-tipping cases that the team has handled since it's launched this April. Recently, another fly-tipper has been caught and fined following an investigation by the team.
A man from Arborfield fly-tipped a computer desk and cardboard boxes in the Premier Convenience Store car park in South Lake Parade, Woodley, in May.
Our anti-social behaviour officer investigated and found an address on the cardboard box. They then checked the CCTV security camera at the Premier store which recorded footage of a man fly-tipping these items and his vehicle registration.
The officer worked with Thames Valley Police to trace the vehicle to an address in Arborfield which matched the address on the cardboard box.
Our officer visited and confirmed the vehicle was kept and used by someone based there. A Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) interview letter was sent out to the address and was completed by the registered keeper of the vehicle.
The perpetrator was interviewed and presented with the CCTV evidence. The man admitted fly-tipping and said he had visited the recycling centre but it was closed. He was issued with a £400 fixed penalty notice which has since been paid.
 Next issue
From this issue on, this newsletter will be sent fortnightly, instead of weekly, in response to your feedback. The next issue will be on 21 September.
Stay tuned for more on what can be done to reduce waste, keep our borough clean and help the environment.
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