This week, we've dedicated our social media and online newsletters to helping you understand our financial challenges and how we're making savings to keep a balanced budget. You can help us make savings by continuing to reduce waste and recycle as much as possible, because it costs must less to dispose of recycling than it does general rubbish. And, more importantly, it's better for the environment.
Don't throw away old electricals
Did you know anything with a plug, battery, cable or a symbol of a crossed out wheelie bin, can be reused or recycled?
These items are known as Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) or e-waste. They shouldn't be sent to landfill, because hazardous substances inside like lead and mercury can leach into soil and water sources, posing threats to the environment and our health. Valuable raw materials such as gold, copper, aluminium and steel, are also lost forever.
Repair, Donate, Sell, Recycle
If you have a faulty electrical item, take it to the repair café at Spencers Wood Village Hall or Lambs Lane Primary School so the volunteers can fix it for you.
You can also consider donating or selling your unwanted items, if they're in good working condition.
If your unwanted electricals can't be passed on or fixed, recycling them is the best thing to do. The re3 recycling centres in Reading and Bracknell accept WEEE such as computers, electric toothbrushes, microwaves and more.
Retailer Take-back Scheme
The Electrical Retailer Take-back Scheme, which came into effect on 1 January 2021, has also made recycling these items easier.
More than 10,000 stores across the UK now take back your old appliance on a like-for-like basis when you buy a new one from them, no matter whether the old product is bought from them. The scheme covers all types of electricals.
Recycling locator
Next Saturday (14 October) is International E-Waste Day. It is an awareness campaign to encourage recycling of WEEE which are broken or no longer used.
Check this online recycling locator to find your nearest repair, reuse or recycling point for WEEE.
Donate your unwanted laptops
If you have a working Chromebook or a laptop which runs Windows 7 or later and you no longer use it, consider donating it to the Wokingham Lions ReTec campaign.
This is Wokingham Lions' latest project, running together with First Days Children's Charity and SHARE Wokingham - and with the assistance of our borough libraries.
The laptops collected are offered to families in need, refugees, charities and local non-profit organisations. They will be completely wiped, cleaned, refurbished and tested, then reset to be like new.
You can drop off your unwanted, working laptop along with the power supply to your nearest participating library, the Wokingham Charity and Community Hub (RG40 2YF) and SHARE Wokingham at various locations in the borough.
Did you know
Can bathroom cleaner and bleach bottles be recycled?
Yes. Bathroom cleaner and bleach bottles, including any spray dispensers, can be recycled.
In the bathroom, we use plastic in all shapes and sizes, most of which can be recycled, including shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, bubble bath, hand soap and moisturiser bottles.
Read this article to learn how to recycle more from your bathroom.
£40 for garden waste collections
You now only need to pay £40 to have your garden waste collected from the kerbside every fortnight until the end of March 2024. Sign up for the service on our website!
Recycling centres winter opening hours
Re3 recycling centres in Reading and Bracknell have switched to their winter operating hours, opening from 8am to 6pm every day until 31 March 2024 except on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day.
Next repair café
The next repair café will be on Sunday 15 October, from 10am to 1pm, at Lambs Lane Primary School (RG7 1YG). Volunteers will try their best to fix your broken household items, free of charge. For a list of items you can bring to the repair café, visit their website.
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