|
We're taking a short break to review and refresh the content of this newsletter. It will return later this year with a new format.
In the meantime, sign up for our Residents' Round-up newsletter to stay up-to-date on our waste services.
 Sign up for garden waste collections
Sign up or renew your subscription to our garden waste collection service to reduce waste and benefit the environment. The price for a 12-month service (1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026) is £90.
First-time subscribers will receive a 240-litre brown wheeled bin for storing garden waste at no additional cost.
Important information
For those who have signed up:
-
Look out for your blue sticker: this sticker is for putting on your brown garden waste bin. If you've ordered a bin, it will come with the sticker already attached
-
Apply the sticker: ensure the sticker is on your bin before the first collection in April
-
Add your house number on the bin: this would help our crews return the bin to you easily
For those who haven't renewed:
-
Sign up soon to make sure you receive the blue sticker in time for the first collection in April. The sticker may take up to ten days to arrive as we rely on the postal system
-
From 1 April, your garden waste won't be collected if your bin doesn't have a blue sticker
If you'd like a helpful reminder of when your collection is due, or would benefit from knowing which items you can recycle, download the free Scrapp mobile app offered by our partner, re3.
 Join our Annual Litter Pick
Litter picking events will take place at various locations across the borough this weekend (22 and 23 March). You've still got time to contact your local organiser, if you're interested in taking part.
To take part in a litter pick, you will need to wear gloves and sturdy shoes. We encourage you to bring your own litter picker and high-visibility vest, but if you don't have any, we will provide them to you while stocks last. Bags will be given out to collect litter.
Our Annual Litter Pick is organised in support of Keep Britain Tidy's Great British Spring Clean
 Food waste feeds climate change
Food Waste Action Week is here! This is the UK's biggest annual food waste reduction campaign led by WRAP, a global environmental action NGO.
Recent research by WRAP shows that globally up to 40 per cent of food produced ends up as waste, contributing to eight to ten per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions.
In the UK, 70 per cent of post-farm gate food waste comes from households, with £2.1 billion worth of fresh fruit and vegetables being thrown away in homes, often before they are even prepared or cooked.
This year's theme for Food Waste Action Week is 'Buy Loose, Waste Less', encouraging everyone to buy only what you need to reduce food waste.
 Buy fruit and vegetables loose
A WRAP research shows that if all apples, bananas and potatoes were sold loose, we could save 60,000 tonnes of food waste each year.
The reason is simple: when we buy fruit and vegetables loose, we can choose the amount we need. That means we won’t end up buying extra that can’t be finished before it goes off.
There are also other benefits of saving more money and reducing the amount of plastic waste.
Buying only what you need
Here are some practical tips to help you buy what you need and then eat what you buy:
-
Meal planning: check and factor in what you already have in your fridge, freezer and cupboard and then write a meal plan for the week ahead. There are free meal planning tools online, like the one by Tesco
-
Portion calculator: find out how much food you need to buy or cook by putting in details like number of meals, people and their age in the online portion calculator
-
Store in fridge: if fresh produce is kept in fridge at a temperature below 5ºC, it can extend the shelf life of items by weeks, if not months
 Give unwanted books a second life
You can now take your unwanted books to re3 recycling centres in Reading or Bracknell for re-use.
Re3 have recently launched the re3read Book Reuse Scheme to promote the reuse of second-hand books within the local community. Not only can you donate unwanted books, but you can also take any books free of charge from the bookshelf near the Reuse Area in the recycling centre.
Local organisations, including schools, nurseries and care homes, can apply for bundles of second-hand books to support educational activities or refresh their libraries. To apply, visit the re3 website.
Supporting this initiative helps counter carbon emissions resulting from book production. A single book can produce between one to four kg of carbon emissions during its production, including paper, printing and transportation. By redistributing 3,000 books, we can offset approximately two tonnes of paper and protect 34 trees.
Visit the next pop-up Reuse Shop at re3 recycling centre in Reading on Saturday 5 April from 8am to 1pm. You can buy good quality pre-loved items such as toys, furniture, sport equipment, bikes and garden tools. No need to book - just drop in.
|
