 Bin collection schedule changes during festive period
To give our crews a well-deserved break, the regular waste collection dates will be adjusted temporarily over the Christmas and New Year period.
All rubbish and recycling collections, including garden waste, from 25 December 2023 to 12 January 2024 will change to a revised schedule:
- There will be no collections on Christmas Day (25 December), Boxing Day (26 December) and New Year's Day (1 January).
- Our crews will work on Saturdays during this period (30 December, 6 January and 13 January).
- Garden waste collections will follow the same schedule.
- Normal collections will resume from Monday 15 January.
Check the revised collection schedule on our website to find when your waste will be collected.
re3 Recycling Centres
Re3 recycling centres in Reading and Bracknell will be closed from 4pm on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.
Also, the two centres will be closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.
 A greener future with new waste collections
We’re changing rubbish and recycling collections from most households next summer to reduce our borough’s environmental impact.
We currently recycle 54 per cent of domestic waste and the rest is burned for energy or sent to landfill, which is above average but we need to improve.
The Government expects us to reach 65 per cent by 2035, because recycling more produces fewer carbon emissions, and could fine us if we don’t keep up.
Our collection changes, which most councils have successfully adopted, will help our climate emergency pledge to do all we can to become carbon neutral by 2030.
They’ll also save more than £1 million a year to help us face unprecedented financial pressures.
How the changes will help
The new system will encourage people to recycle more by limiting how much rubbish they put out. When rubbish is left to rot, it produces gases that cause climate change.
Our collection vehicles will be able to carry more of each type of waste, so they’ll also make fewer trips and drive fewer miles to the depot for emptying.
Based on our research, we should see 20 per cent less rubbish put out, with 17 per cent more waste recycled (including five per cent food waste) and three per cent not created as people reduce waste in other ways.
We expect a reduction of 744 tonnes of rubbish per year, the weight of at least 45 double-decker buses, and a reduction of 2,400 tonnes in carbon dioxide (equivalent), the amount generated by about 1,500 households’ electricity usage.
 Reduce waste this Christmas
Christmas is just round the corner! We're all getting ready for this joyful time of the year.
From this issue on, we'll be sharing some top tips on how to reduce waste, reuse and recycle more in this festive season, from preparation all the way to the end of our celebrations.
Christmas crackers
Christmas crackers are loved by everyone. However, many contain glitter and plastic, making them difficult to recycle.
There are many recyclable Christmas crackers and DIY cracker kits on the market. For example, the crackers being sold on the Royal Society for The Protection of Birds (RSPB) website are full recyclable. They are plastic, foil and glitter free, and so is their packaging.
You can also be creative and make your own crackers at home using toilet roll tubes, used ribbons and wrapping paper. Do a quick search online and you will find loads of tutorials on homemade crackers.
Christmas cards
Similarly, avoid buying Christmas cards with glitter, sequins, glue or plastic decorations on them. If you want to recycle them after Christmas, remove these extras before putting them out.
You may consider sending an e-card instead. If you do want to go for a physical one, why not pick those completely recyclable from charities like British Heart Foundation and Macmillian Cancer Support.
Gifts
Christmas is a season of giving, and that means we may need lots of wrapping paper. Here are a few tips to help keep your gifts green:
- Avoid wrapping paper or gift bags that contain plastic film or metallic elements, such as those embellished with shiny foil or glitter.
- Cardboard tubes in the centre of a roll of gift wrap can be recycled too.
- Decorate your presents with reusable or natural decorations, such as reusable string, ribbon or a sprig of holly or mistletoe, instead of shiny metallic-style bows.
 Repair café for Christmas lights
Spencers Wood Repair Café is running a special session to look at your faulty Christmas lights and ornaments during Shinfield Festive Fayre at School Green Centre (RG2 9EH) this Friday 1 December, from 4.30pm to 6:30pm.
If you can't make it, there will be two more repair cafe sessions before Christmas:
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