 Promising start as collection changes settle in
We're now into the third week of our new household waste collections, and we're pleased to hear from our crews that things are going well.
Most households are still putting the correct waste out each week, and in the correct way. This makes things much easier, so thank you very much.
And while it's still early days, there are some promising signs that many of you are recycling more food waste - please keep this up!
The main purpose of these changes is to recycle more, which puts less pressure on the environment and also help us to make much-needed savings.
If you need more green recycling bags or a food waste bin, you can pick them up free of charge from our hubs.
Finally, please keep checking the calendar we posted or have a look on our website if you're not sure whether to put out rubbish or recycling this week.
Recycling - please be considerate and use common sense
While we're glad to see more people getting ready to recycle more, we've seen a few cases of people taking green bags and food waste bins for other uses.
We've got plenty of both, but they're only for storing your recycling and food waste between collections. Everyone pays for this service, so don't abuse it by taking spares or extra containers for general storage.
Our crews have also seen people putting large amounts of non-recyclable rubbish in the green recycling bags. This can contaminate whole loads of recycling in the vehicle if it isn't caught, meaning it all gets thrown away with the rubbish.
Remember - 70 per cent of all our waste can be recycled. If you recycle everything you can, and make sure you have enough green bags, there should be no shortage of space in your black rubbish bin.
If you're not sure what you can recycle, or where you can recycle it, take a look on our website or use the Recycling Locator tool provided by Recycle Now.
 A major drop in rubbish and carbon emissions
We’re predicting a reduction of 2,400 tonnes of carbon dioxide (equivalent) per year through these changes, equivalent to the amount generated by about 1,500 typical households’ annual electricity usage.
Based on other councils’ experience, we should see a 20 per cent reduction in rubbish put out for collection, with 12 per cent more being recycled, five per cent more going to food waste and three per cent from overall waste reduction.
We’re expecting an overall drop of 744 tonnes of rubbish across the borough per year, the weight of at least 45 double-decker buses.
We need to recycle at least 65 per cent of our waste by 2035 to meet the Government's expectations, but let's aim higher than that. Can we become the first in the country to reach 70 per cent?
Don't forget to label or decorate your bin - you can get as creative as you like, but you only need to write your house number on it. This will ensure that you know which is yours on collection day.
 A-peel-ing to you by collecting food waste
New research by the waste reduction charity WRAP shows we're doing the right thing by having a separate weekly food waste collection.
According to its latest report, food waste collections make people more aware of what they're buying, so they throw less away in the first place.
Because food waste can be used to produce energy and make fertiliser for farmers' fields, the collections also help people to feel proud that they aren't throwing food in the rubbish unnecessarily.
When we introduced food waste collections in 2019, our overall recycling rate immediately shot up from 35 per cent to 50 per cent, and it's even higher now.
However, food waste is still our biggest area for improvement - last year, we found it made up about 20 per cent of what some people threw in the rubbish.
Food waste collections are still weekly, and they can hugely reduce our environmental impact by reducing the emissions that rotting food gives off. They also keep nasty smells out of your rubbish bin, so use them as much as you can!
 Charity still offering second-hand uniforms
With the return to school coming up, there are still a few weeks left to use the First Days Children's Charity pre-loved uniform shop.
Just drop in to School Days at 3 The Courtyard, Wokingham town, RG40 2AZ. It's open from 10am to 6pm tomorrow (29 August) and from 10am to 3pm this Saturday. Cash and card are accepted.
As well as providing affordable uniforms, helping children to go to school with confidence, this scheme makes good use of old clothes and reduces the environmental impact of making new ones.
You can donate clothing and other items to First Days at their headquarters (by appointment) or their orange and pink drop-off bins across the community. Donations are also accepted from businesses - get in touch to find out more.
Do the 'write' thing with old pens and more
Terracycle runs a Writing Instruments Free Recycling Programme, which accepts different types of stationery like correction tapes and fluid pots, highlighters, felt tips, pens, mechanical pencils and more.
Why not look through your children's writing supplies and see if there's anything that's run out? You can take any recycling to a drop-off point near you.
DID YOU KNOW? Of all the things you can do with your waste, reducing how much you create in the first place is the most helpful for the environment.
Ask yourself whether you really need that new purchase, or whether you might already own something that could do the job for you.
The next best thing is reusing old goods, either by repairing them or finding them a new home, and the next best after that is recycling.
 Be a hero - cut your waste to zero
Next Monday (2 September) marks the start of this year's Zero Waste Week, which encourages people to throw as little in the rubbish as they can.
We know you've got to start small to change your habits - so to take part, you only have to do one small additional thing each day to reduce your waste.
There are loads of ideas on the Zero Waste Week website, and you can use this as a springboard to try more and more new things to benefit the environment.
Anyone can participate, from individuals to businesses, schools and community groups, and it's also a great way to save money.
If you'd like to give a go, and maybe get others involved, take a look at Zero Waste Week's step-by-step plan and download some resources to inspire you.
 Bag a bargain in Second Hand September
Next month also marks the start of Oxfam's Second Hand September, a 30-day campaign that encourages you to only buy clothing second-hand.
The manufacture of new clothes has a huge impact on the environment, and this is made worse by the current trend for "fast fashion" which treats clothes as a frequent and disposable purchase.
It's fuelling climate change and pollution, while making living conditions even worse for some of the poorest societies on the planet, so this is a chance to take a stand.
You can read more on why you should get involved, or check out Oxfam's top tips for sustainable shopping. This handy guide also covers items like homewares, toys, books and more.
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