 Waste collections: get ready for a greener future
We’re changing how we collect household waste in August 2024 – and we’re urging you to get ready by considering whether you could reduce, reuse or recycle more rubbish.
These changes, which we’ve consulted you on, offer us the chance to become one of the top areas of the country for recycling while meeting or exceeding the Government’s future targets.
From next summer, most of you will be putting your general rubbish into a 180-litre black wheeled bin which will be emptied fortnightly, replacing the weekly blue bag collections.
Recycling will still be collected from free reusable green recycling sacks, with no limits on how many you put out, but this is going fortnightly on the weeks when your rubbish isn’t collected.
Weekly food waste collections and subscription-based fortnightly garden waste collections aren’t changing. Not all properties are suitable for wheeled bins, so alternative arrangements will be made in some cases.
 Helping everyone get ready for changes
We need to reduce our impact on the environment in lots of different ways, and increasing our recycling rates will have a big impact on lowering our carbon emissions.
The new wheeled rubbish bins will hold the equivalent of about two full blue bags, or one a week. To help you get ready for the changes, this is the most you should aim to be putting out now.
We know many of you are already doing all you can to reduce, reuse and recycle more waste, and we really appreciate that – please keep it up, and encourage your friends and neighbours to do the same.
But if you’re worried about space in your new wheeled bin, keep in mind that more than half of what currently ends up in a typical blue bag is recyclable so it doesn’t belong there.
If you only put non-recyclable waste into your wheeled rubbish bin, you should find there’s more than enough space between collections.
 Did you know?
I live in a flat. Are my waste collections changing?
No. If you live in a block of flats with a shared bin store area, everything will stay the same with weekly collections, except your collection day may change. We will inform you well in advance, if that's the case.
 Recycle more after Halloween
Halloween is just over. Hope you had a great time trick or treating with your children!
Recycle sweet wrappers
If you've got a stash of sweets with plastic wrapping, remember you can now recycle these wrappers alongside plastic bags, crisp packets and the like at most supermarkets. Just put them inside another bag and drop them off at the front of the store the next time you go shopping.
Read more about recycling plastics and wrapping. You can use the online Recycling Locator tool to check your nearest collection points.
Foil wrapping can be recycled too. When you're unsure if your shiny wrapper is recyclable, do a scrunch test - scrunch the wrapper in your hand, if it remains scrunched in a ball, you can pop it in your green bags together with other bits of used foil. Remember - the bigger the foil ball, the easier to recycle.
Recycle carved pumpkins
Don't thrown away your carved pumpkin! If you can’t eat it, add it to your compost heap and it will break down quickly.
You can recycle it with other food waste. If your pumpkin is too big, chop it up before putting it in your kitchen caddy. Alternatively, you can sit the whole pumpkin next to your black food waste bin on your collection day. Our crew will take it away and it will be turned into energy and fertilizer.
 Next repair café
Have your broken household items fixed at the next Spencers Wood Village Hall Repair Café (RG7 1AP) this Sunday (5 November), from 10am to 1pm.
The service is free of charge, but donations are welcomed to cover their running costs and support the village hall.
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