Welcome to Environment News
This is your new Environment News updates.
We’ll send it to you fortnightly on a Monday and it will feature updates on our waste and recycling services, countryside spaces, the climate emergency and other green initiatives.
It replaces our climate emergency and rubbish and recycling newsletters, but, if you subscribed to these, you’ll automatically receive this update instead.
It’s part of a series of new newsletters we’re launching this month, you can sign up for these on our website. Please send us an email with any feedback on these newsletters.
 Save on energy bills with Solar Together
Join more than 500 Wokingham Borough residents generating renewable energy through Solar Together Berkshire.
Solar Together Berkshire is back for its third year, offering residents and businesses the chance to purchase solar panels and battery storage at a competitive price through pre-vetted suppliers.
Solar Together is a tried and tested group buying scheme which helps you make the switch to generating your own renewable electricity, saving on energy bills and helping us work towards becoming a carbon neutral Wokingham Borough.
Register to join the buying group by Friday 8 August.
The more people who register, the more competitive the price. Once registered, you will receive a personal recommendation which will include the costs and specifications for a complete solar panel installation for your property.
There’s no obligation to continue – the choice is yours whether you wish to accept the recommendation.
For residents who have already invested in solar panels, retrofit battery storage is also available.
Registering your interest takes less than five minutes.
 The Swift Tower soars at Dinton Pastures
Next time you're at Dinton Pastures Country Park, look out for a striking new addition on Black Swan Island – the Swift Tower!
The country park in Hurst is already a favourite feeding ground for migratory swifts, which swoop over the lake for insects. These birds prefer nesting in tall structures, so the eight-metre-high tower’s open location is ideal for helping them hunt and hopefully settle.
Head over to Facebook or Instagram to see some fantastic pictures.
Swifts are sadly on the red list for conservation, with numbers down 62 per cent since 1995. Providing safe nesting spaces is crucial to their survival.
The tower includes a built-in caller that plays at dawn and dusk to attract returning swifts and encourage colony-building over time.
We partnered with artist, Will Nash, known for creating beautiful, functional sculptures, to install it. Funded by developer contributions, this is just one of many projects we deliver each year to support biodiversity across the borough.
 New contractor for waste collection
Following a comprehensive tender process, we're delighted to announce Biffa has been appointed as our new contractor for waste and recycling collection and street cleansing, starting 1 June 2026.
The change in contractor will not mean any changes to how your collections work.
If you are going to get any changes, such as an adjustment to your collection day, you will be contacted directly in advance with full details.
Waste recycling will continue to be collected on alternate weeks, with existing wheeled bins or blue bags for rubbish, and green reusable bags for recycling. Food waste will continue to be collected weekly in the smaller black caddies.
A key part of the contract is that it supports our carbon reduction goals, using a combination of greener, vehicles integrated with modern technology.
 Funding awarded to Eco Skills Centre
Congratulations to the team at Repair Cafe at Lambs Lane Primary School, which has been given a grant from The National Lottery Community Fund to support its Eco Skills Learning Centre.
Funding will support its projects like creating birdboxes, hedgehog homes, starling and swift boxes for animals in our area.
The centre at Pudding Lane Nursery in Arborfield has run dozens of workshops and worked with hundreds of local children.
The team are taking bookings for workshops in the coming months and these are open to youth groups, schools and vulnerable adults.
Please email Billie with your enquiry.
 Help keep our countryside safe from fire this summer
Summer is a busy time for fire and rescue services.
For instance, in July and August of 2022, which was one of the most severe periods for wildfires in the UK due to the extremely hot and dry climate, the service responded to 258 fires in the open in Berkshire.
There have already been dozens of fires in the open in Berkshire this year and, by following the service’s safety advice, people can do their part to prevent fire and reduce unnecessary strain on their fire and rescue service.
- If you plan to have a barbecue, make sure it is positioned on level ground away from any structures or bushes. Never take a barbecue indoors.
- Never leave a lit barbecue unattended and always keep a bucket of water or sand nearby in case of an emergency.
- If you’re heading out into the wilderness, avoid lighting open fires or using disposable barbecues in the countryside. Wildfires can often grow unexpectedly and spread rapidly.
- If you are camping, do not smoke or use lit barbecues or candles inside your tent. Also, you should set up your tent at least six metres away from parked vehicles if possible.
- If you encounter a wildfire, do not attempt to extinguish it. Get to a safe place immediately and call 999. Make sure you give as an accurate a description of where you are as possible.
Discover more advice on how to stay safe in the countryside.
 Have your say on council funding
We’re one of the lowest funded councils in the country and, like many others, we’re facing ongoing pressure on our finances.
This year alone, we need to find £7.8 million in savings - on top of the £23 million already saved over the past two years.
Looking ahead, we estimate we may need to save up to £33 million more over the next three years, although we won’t know the exact figure until the Government announces local funding plans in December.
To put that in context, £33 million is close to our entire annual budget for road maintenance, bin collections, planning, grass cutting and parks combined. We’re not stopping these services - but it helps show the scale of the challenge.
That’s why we’re asking for your views.
Our Budget Conversations are now open. This is your chance to help shape the 2026/27 budget by telling us what matters most, where things could be done differently, and how we can focus our limited resources where they’re needed most.
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