 Proposed changes to your waste collections
We're looking at changing the way your rubbish and recycling is collected to drive up the borough’s recycling rate by 10 per cent and save more than £1 million per year within two years.
The proposed changes will be discussed by our decision making executive at its meeting on 21 March. They include:
- Moving general rubbish and recycling collections from weekly to alternate weekly, meaning general rubbish will be collected one week and recycling will be collected the next
- Introducing wheeled bins for general rubbish, instead of the current plastic bags
Food waste collections would continue to be weekly, and the subscription garden waste collection service fortnightly.
These changes, if approved, would help us meet the government’s new recycling target for local authorities and our own climate emergency goal, while the savings would enable us to protect our vital services and help our residents during this tough time.
If approved, alternate weekly collections would start in late summer 2024 and delivery of wheeled bins to residents would be before then. Flats and properties with narrow access are excluded from the changes.
 Sign up or renew garden waste collections
You can now sign up or renew your garden waste collection service.
Using the service is convenient if you have a garden, with your garden clippings, grass cuttings, leaves and weeds being collected fortnightly from the kerbside. It's also great for the planet, as your garden waste is turned into compost for growing other plants.
The price of the 12-month service from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024 is £80. If you order the service after 1 April, the cost will be:
- 1 April to 31 June: £80
- 1 July to 30 September: £60
- 1 October to 31 December: £40
For those signing up for the first time, the price includes a 240-litre brown wheeled bin for storing garden waste.
Find out more or sign up on our website.
Free bags of composts for community groups and schools
Garden waste collected in the borough is processed in a composting facility in South Oxfordshire.
The end product – re3Grow compost – is high quality and peat-free. It is available for sale at the re3 recycling centres in Reading and Bracknell.
A limited number of bags of compost are given out free of charge to local community groups and schools in the borough through re3 Community re3Grow Scheme. Apply now on re3 website.
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Should I put lids or caps on when recycling glass bottles?
Yes. Keeping lids and caps on reduces the chance of glass bottles getting lost during the sorting process at the recycling plant.
However, corks should be removed.
Find your nearest glass banks using the Recycling Locator.
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 Join us on a community litter pick
Come and join us to make an immediate and visible difference to where you live!
Town and parish councils as well as local resident groups are organising community litter picks on Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 March across the borough, as part of the Keep Britain Tidy's Great British Spring Clean.
No previous experience is needed. To take part in a litter pick, you will need to wear gloves and sturdy shoes. We encourage you to bring your own litter picker and high-visibility vest, but if you don't have any, we will provide them to you. Bags will also be given out to collect the litter.
Apart from keeping your local area clean, community litter picks also give you an opportunity to meet new people and educate children about the importance of looking after our world.
If you're interested in joining, visit our website to find out how to contact your local organiser.
 Top tips to defrost your food
While it's a great idea to freeze food to make it go further, it's also important to defrost it safely before cooking or eating it.
Here are some top tips to defrost your food correctly:
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Don't defrost food at room temperature: it should be defrosted in the fridge in a container big enough to catch any drips. You can also use a microwave on the "defrost" setting directly before cooking.
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Make sure food is fully defrosted: partially defrosted food may not cook evenly, meaning harmful bacteria could survive the cooking process.
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Cook it within 24 hours, once the food is defrosted.
The Food Standards Agency also advises that foods can't be re-frozen if they are accidentally defrosted, unless they are cooked first.
If you haven't received your blue bags
We've finished delivering this year's blue general rubbish bags to households in the borough. If you live in a house and haven't received your blue bags, please report it to us on our website.
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