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Environment News

Do you have old school uniforms at home?

We’re proud to be supporting re3Wear, a fantastic new initiative in partnership with First Days Children’s Charity and re3.

Together, we’re helping families across Wokingham, Reading and Bracknell by collecting and reusing school uniforms.

If you’ve got clean, good-quality uniforms your children have outgrown (school logos are welcome!), you can drop them off at the re3 Recycling Centres at Longshot Lane in Bracknell or Island Road in Reading. Just look out for the clearly marked wheelie bins.

Your donated uniforms will either be given free to families who need them or sold at low cost through the First Days Children’s Charity shop. You’ll find the shop at 3 The Courtyard, Wokingham, RG40 2AZ, right next to Denmark Street Car Park. It’s open Tuesdays 11am to 1pm and Thursdays 10am to 1pm and 3pm to 6pm.

Even a small donation can make a big difference. Together, we can reduce waste and support local families.

Tools to help you help the planet

With some people taking part in plastic-free challenges this month, we thought we'd share some of the helpful tools we have available to help ensure that any plastics you do use are going to the right place.

It's very hard to cut down plastic-use completely, but you can reduce what you use and recycle it correctly. Where possible, it's always best to avoid single-use plastic in the first place. So set reminders to bring refillable water bottles and coffee cups that you can use when out and about. 

re3bot - chat bot on re3's website

Head over to the re3 website and the re3bot is ready and waiting for you whatever time of day you have a recycling question.

How can I book a slot at the recycling centre, what can be recycled, what has a charge? Let re3bot help you with that! You can always contact the re3 admin team during office hours too, and they'll be happy to help!

Wokingham Borough Council's rubbish and recycling website

Our website's always a great first port of call for any rubbish and recycling queries you might have. 

Visit the website to find out your next bin collection days, view tips for household waste, food waste, garden waste and recycling, report a missed collection or fly-tipping, request a collection of large item.

The Scrapp app

We’ve found this app really handy for keeping on top of recycling and knowing which bins are being collected each week! 

If you live in Wokingham Borough, the app can send you helpful bin day reminders and show you exactly what goes in each bin. 

You can even scan packaging to see what it’s made of and how to recycle it properly. 

Get it fixed at a Repair Café this Sunday

Do you have something broken at home?

Don’t throw it away, bring it along to the Spencers Wood Repair Café this Sunday, 20 July, from 10am to 1pm at Lambs Lane Primary School.

The brilliant team of volunteers are on hand to help you fix household items and give them a new lease of life. It's not a repair shop, instead, the café team love to get visitors involved in the process and help you build confidence in doing your own repairs.

It’s all about reducing waste and keeping useful items out of landfill, they don’t need to be sentimental to be worth saving.

While you’re there, enjoy a drink and a snack from our on-site café and chat with others in the community.

They welcome a wide range of repairs, including:

• Textiles and clothing
• Suitcases and bags
• Broken jewellery
• Chairs and small furniture
• Small household appliances
• Tents, gazebos, and outdoor gear
• Tool sharpening, lawn mowers, vacuum cleaners – and more!

Discover Repair Cafés throughout the borough:

• Wokingham Repair Café 
  • All Saints Church, Wiltshire Road, Wokingham RG40 1TN, operates on the second Saturday of the month.
  • Open 10am to 12.30pm
• Woodley Repair Café
  • Christ Church on Crockhamwell Road (RG5 3LA)
  • Operates on the first Sunday of the month
  • Open: 2pm to 4pm
• Spencer Woods Repair Café
  • Lambs Lane Primary School, RG7 1YG
  • Operates on the third Sunday of the month.
  • Open: from 10am to 1pm
• Spencers Wood Village Hall Repair Café
  • Spencers Wood Village Hall, RG7 1AP
  • Operates on the first Sunday of the month (except January and December which is the second Sunday).
  • Open:10 am to 1pm
• Earley Repair Café
  • Centrepoint Community Centre Chalfont Cl, Earley, Reading RG6 5HZ (next to Lower Earley Library on Chalfont Close)
  • Operates on the second Sunday of the month.
  • Open 10am till 1.00pm

Natural History Museum comes to our libraries

We’re facing a nature crisis, but there’s hope.

This year, the Natural History Museum, London, opened a new permanent gallery, Fixing Our Broken Planet. Packed with contemporary science from world-leading researchers, the gallery explores practical, nature-based solutions to some of the biggest challenges facing the planet today.

This summer, a taster display will visit libraries across Wokingham Borough to help inspire people to take action for nature.

Come along to Wokingham Borough libraries this summer to see the National History Museums‘ mini display.

This will be on display at Wokingham Library from Tuesday 1 July and you can see the National History Museum's new permanent gallery, Fixing Our Broken Planet at their museum in London. 

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Protect our planet, children's writing competition

Are you a planet hero? Why not take part in our Planet Hero Creative Writing Competition and show how we can all help protect the planet!

Whether you love writing stories, poems, or thoughtful reflections, we want to hear your ideas about caring for the environment. There are prizes from the Natural History Museum up for grabs – and your entry could inspire others to take action too.

There are three age categories: four to seven years, eight to 11 years and 11+ years

To enter, just send your writing along with your name and age to libraryevents@wokingham.gov.uk, or drop it off at your local Wokingham Borough library by 31 August.

This competition is brought to you in partnership with Wokingham Borough Council and the Natural History Museum.

Let’s get creative and be heroes for our planet!

Sign up to Solar Together, one month to go

“Despite one scheduling problem during the installation, the overall experience was good. The various workmen involved were very competent and easy to get on with. The process has generally worked very well, the installation is working well and the bulk buy discount helps make the project economically attractive.”