 Residents help to make streets green and clean
If you are looking to help the environment and want to get involved in your local community, why not consider volunteering to adopt the street you live in? You will help us keep your neighbourhood green and litter free and it's a great opportunity to meet new neighbours who share the same passion - to keep our streets clean. By keeping our streets clean and green, you can help local biodiversity and reduce carbon emissions from the atmosphere.
We've recently talked to Shelagh Flower, the coordinator of the 'Woodley Adopt a Street Project' (WASP), a community initiative that helps keep the town a pleasant place to live and visit.
No pressure on anyone
"They just do as much as they can. There is no pressure on anyone," said Shelagh.
The WASP volunteers can choose when and where they litter pick. Most of them adopt the street they live in, or the footpaths or green space near their houses. They pick up the litter in the area they've 'adopted', bring it home and put it out on their collection day together with their own waste.
Established in 2011, WASP now has about 200 volunteers from different walks of life, such as retirees, full-time workers and families. They all care about their community and share the same passion of keeping Woodley clean and tidy.
For a stronger sense of belonging, Shelagh gives each volunteer a high-visibility jacket with 'Adopt A Street Volunteer' printed on the back.
Be part of your local community
Rachel Burrow joined WASP in 2017 with her son and partner, when they moved to Woodley.
"Litter picking is a good thing to do because it creates a better environment for people and animals. I also want to be part of the local community," said Rachel.
Rachel and her family have adopted the lane where their block of flats is located. They spend about three hours every month litter picking. "We enjoy being outside together, especially when my son was little," added Rachel.
Apart from keeping your local area clean, children can learn about the importance of looking after the environment through litter picking.
Join the Adopt a Street Team today
We run a borough-wide 'Adopt a Street' scheme, which you can take part in no matter where you live.
At present, we have more than 800 members. We are grateful to have all these community-minded residents who spend their time and effort in making an impact on our environment.
If you are interested in adopting your street, you can find out more by visiting our website and filling in a form. All volunteers will be given a litter picker, green 'Adopt a Street' bags to store litter and a high-visibility jacket.
 Take part in The Great Big Green Week
This Saturday is the start of The Great Big Green Week (10-18 June), a national campaign to celebrate community action of tackling climate change and protecting nature.
You can take part by:
Remember, you can take part in green activities all-year-round. If you have already taken part in a green activity or are regularly doing your bit to help save the planet, let us know by emailing our Climate Emergency Team.
 Make positive, green changes for Clean Air Day
Next week is Clean Air Day (15 June), a national awareness day highlighting the importance of air pollution. We are encouraging people to make positive changes to improve air quality all-year-round because breathing clean air is not only important for our health and well-being but it's also better for our planet.
Sadly each year, air pollution causes heart and lung disease and is responsible for up to 36,000 deaths in the UK (source: Action for Clean Air website).
There are many ways people can make rapid changes to improve air quality including:
- Walking, scooting or cycling instead of driving
- Adopting electric vehicles
- Swapping car journeys by using public transport instead
- Switching off your engine whilst vehicle is stationary
- Cutting down industrial and construction emissions
- Reducing the amount of home products which contribute towards air pollution
As part of the Government's Clean Air Strategy, we have a duty under Part IV of the Environment Act 1995 to periodically review and assess the air quality within Wokingham Borough. The Government's strategy sets out plans for dealing with all sources of air pollution, making our air healthier to breathe, protecting nature and boosting the economy.
You may have seen colourful anti-idling banners outside six borough schools designed by pupils to support our efforts to improve air quality. These banners remind drivers to switch off their car engines outside schools, particularly around drop-off and pick-up times, as this contributes to harmful pollution in the air.
We are now producing Air Quality Action Plans (AQAP) which outlines the approach we will take to reduce air pollution and prevent levels increasing. Find out more about our work and view the map of our air quality management areas by visiting our website.
 Connect with local businesses and waste less
On 16 June it is World Refill Day, a global day of action to encourage people to live with less waste and prevent plastic pollution. By choosing to reuse and refill, you can help prevent plastic pollution and improve your carbon footprint.
There's a free Refill app, available to download on the Google Play and Apple App Store, which connects you to local businesses in Wokingham borough where you can eat, drink and shop with less waste.
The app shows you where to:
- Refill your water bottle
- Find a water fountain
- Get a hot drink in a reusable cup
- Refill food in reusable containers
- Shop at zero-waste stores
It also lets you track your climate saving impact on the app. For example, you can see how much carbon you have saved and how many refills you have logged. If you are interested in finding out more, visit the Refill website.
 Look out for this recycling label
You may see this label (image above) on the back of many plastic food packaging, such as bread bags, fruit and vegetable bags, crisp packets and chocolate wrappers. It means the packaging can be taken to the soft plastic recycling points in most major supermarkets.
A lot of wrappers for food or non-food products, carrier bags and film are made from soft plastics. The Recycle Now website has a list of bags and wrappers that are accepted at the supermarket recycling points.
Some tips about soft plastic recycling
- It's important to ensure the bags or wrapping are clean and food-free, as this means it's in the best possible condition for recycling
- Some packaging may still say ‘not recyclable’, but that’s because the labelling may not be up-to-date with the latest recycling schemes
- Compostable and biodegradable bags are not designed to be recycled. If they enter the recycling system, they can potentially cause quality issues in the recycled material. These should be placed in your home composting bin, if you have one
- You can reuse these bags to line your food caddy bin
 Funding received for new active travel route
Plans for a new active travel link between Wokingham town centre and neighbourhoods to the west have taken their first steps thanks to a Government grant.
We’ve been awarded more than £600,000 from the Department for Transport's Active Travel Fund, which will pay for initial design work on the scheme along the A329 Reading Road.
This 1.6 mile (2.5km) route, comprising a segregated one-way cycle lane with shared use paths and other improvements on each side of the road, would run from Sadler’s Lane at Winnersh, near the M4 underpass and petrol station, to the western end of Broad Street.
However, we haven’t allocated any money for building it and wouldn’t start work without seeking your views. The project would be split into four phases and we’d like to consult on at least the first by the end of this year.
The scheme was raised in our Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan, a borough-wide strategy we recently published with your feedback. It would support our ongoing efforts to tackle the climate emergency and air pollution by cutting emissions, as well as helping you live more healthily.
 Feeding thousands and cutting food waste
Have you heard of SHARE Wokingham? The volunteer group provides free food to about 2,500 residents each week to help reduce food waste and support those struggling with the cost of living.
Since its launch in 2020, it has saved more than 1,000 tonnes of food from being wasted. Food waste is a huge contributor to climate change and by preventing food waste, you can help reduce carbon emissions and minimise the impact of climate change.
All the stock is surplus or end of day items from local supermarkets (Waitrose, M&S, Tesco, Morrisons and Lidl) and food suppliers which would otherwise go to waste.
The group’s newest site in Arborfield (pictured) has just been confirmed to continue running fortnightly through the summer. You can check the dates on our website.
SHARE’s teams run sites in Woodley, Wokingham, Shinfield, Finchampstead and beyond each week. If you’re struggling with the cost of living, this group could support you.
 Resident takes part in No Mow May
In last month's newsletter, we featured an article on No Mow May, a national campaign to encourage people not to cut their grass during this month, and how anyone with a patch of land can take part.
We wanted to thank borough resident Francesca for sharing photos of her garden during No Mow May.
By taking part in No Now May, it helps to lock away atmospheric carbon below the ground. It also helps biodiversity flourish by letting wild flowers bloom, providing nectar for pollinating insects such as bees, butterflies, moths and beetles.
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