 Recycle one extra item
It’s been almost two months since the new waste collections started, and we’d like to thank you for continuing to put out your waste correctly.
70 per cent of all our waste can be recycled, and the only things that go in the rubbish are:
- Bagged pet and animal waste
- General dust and dirt
- Black plastic food waste trays
- Polystyrene
- Disposable nappies and sanitary waste
- Kitchen and beauty wipes – reusable wipes save you money and the environment
- Food wrappers and cling film – these can be recycled at major supermarkets
Recycle Week 2024
Next week (14 to 20 October) sees the return of the annual national 'Recycle Week'.
This year's campaign focuses on rescuing everyday recyclable items that often end up in the rubbish bin, when they could've been recycled!
Here are some examples:
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Yoghurt pot - wash and squash it before putting in your green bag
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Plastic trigger spray bottle - Rinse the bottle, place the trigger back on and put it in your green bag
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Toilet roll tube - cardboard toilet roll tube can go straight into your green bag
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Perfume bottle - bring empty glass perfume or aftershave bottle to a bottle bank near you
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Deodorant - Aerosol deodorant can be recycled in your green bag
Recycling at least one extra item as part of our daily recycling routine will make a huge difference.
If you're not sure what you can recycle, or where you can recycle it, use the online Recycling Locator tool provided by Recycle Now.
 New repair café opens in Earley
A new repair café is coming to the borough!
Earley Repair Café will open its door this Sunday (13 October) at Centrepoint Community Centre, next to Lower Earley Library on Chalfont Close. It's led by the Earley Town Council, and runs on the second Sunday of the month, from 10am to 1pm.
A friendly team of volunteers will help fix your broken household items, such as small domestic appliances, bikes, clothes, lamps, tools, laptops, clocks, chairs, suitcases and more.
Visitors will be able to get some refreshments from the café on site while waiting for their repair, or watch and learn about the repair process if they want.
All repairs are free, but donations are welcome to help cover running costs. No booking is required, just drop in.
Other upcoming repair café sessions this month
 How to dispose of unwanted electricals
Do you know what this symbol (pictured) means?
It’s a WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) symbol commonly found on electronic and electrical products or their packaging. It means the item shouldn't be disposed of with your household waste and must be taken to designated collection facilities for proper recycling.
WEEE, also know as e-waste, has become a global problem. According to the latest UN’s Global E-Waste Monitor, 62 billion kg of e-waste were generated globally in 2022, up 82% from 2010. The amount could fill 1.55 million trucks lined up along the Earth's equator.
Recycle anything with a plug, battery or cable
Recycling our old unwanted electricals helps save precious natural resources and curb climate changing emissions.
Remember - anything with a plug, battery, or cable can be recycled if it can’t be reused or repaired. Bring it to the re3 recycling centres in Reading or Bracknell.
Unwanted electricals 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.
Retailer Take-back Scheme
The Electrical Retailer Take-back Scheme has also made recycling these items easier.
Thousands of retailers are offering the service to take back your old appliance, including singe-use vapes, on a like-for-like basis when you buy a new one from them – and it doesn’t need to have come from the same shop. Find your nearest recycling point online.
International E-Waste Day
Next Monday, 14 October, is International E-Waste Day. This year’s focus is on unused electronics stored in our homes, such as old mobile phones, cables, USB keys, card readers or game consoles.
Many of us may have one or more of these items kept out of sight in our drawers. Why not declutter our homes so the valuable materials inside can gain a new life?
 A quarter-century of innovation in waste
re3, our joint waste management partnership with Reading and Bracknell Forest councils, is now celebrating its 25th anniversary.
This makes it one of the UK's longest-standing waste management partnerships, serving almost 500,000 residents including our population of almost 180,000.
Since its launch in 1999, it has:
- managed some 3.18 million tonnes of waste in total
- recycled over 404,000 tonnes of waste from kerbside collections
- saved over 78,000 tonnes of food waste from incineration or landfill
- reduced landfill waste from 62 per cent (2007) to below five per cent
- welcomed 13 million visits to its household waste recycling centres
The partnership, which has been working with FCC Environment since 2006, has also reduced its carbon emissions by 65 per cent since 2016 and enjoys consistently high satisfaction rates at its recycling centres.
By playing its part in significantly increasing our borough's recycling rate, it has helped us address the climate emergency while saving money and improving everyone's quality of life.
It has also innovated through measures like installing England's first AI-powered sorting arm (pictured) at its recycling facility and its re3Grow compost scheme.
More recently, it was shortlisted for the Digital Innovation and Local Authority Success categories in this year's MRW National Recycling Awards, with the winners to be announced on 26 November.
Virtual tour of re3's recycling facility
Join the re3 webinar on 18 October, when you can learn why recycling is important and how you can help save the environment. It will take you on a virtual tour of re3's recycling facility, showing what happens to your recyclables after they are collected from your doorstep. Register now.
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