 Heatwave: earlier bin collections tomorrow
With temperatures set to reach 31°C by early afternoon, we’re starting waste and recycling collections one hour earlier at 5:30am tomorrow (Tuesday 12 August) to protect our crews from the heat.
How can you help?
- Please put your bins out tonight if you’re due a collection tomorrow
- Make sure containers are visible and accessible by 5:30am
- Seal food waste in bags
- Keep the lid closed to reduce smells and deter pests
Don’t forget: your food waste bin is collected every week, making it the quickest way to get rid of scraps. Thanks for helping keep our crews safe and cool!
Wondering what will be collected next? Find out your bin collection day.
 We've helped recycle 3.5 million coffee pods together
We're celebrating two years of successful coffee pod recycling and our partnership with re3 Recycling and Podback - and the results are impressive.
Thanks to residents across Wokingham, Bracknell Forest and Reading, more than 3.5 million coffee pods have been recycled, diverting 54.4 tonnes of waste from landfill. It also saves 26.7 tonnes of carbon, helping us reach our carbon reduction goals.
That’s the equivalent of nearly 4,800 cups of coffee brewed and responsibly recycled every single day.
This initiative not only reduces disposal costs and carbon emissions, but also helps create biogas, soil improver and new products like aluminium cans and car parts.
We’re incredibly grateful for your continued support. Please keep bringing your used pods to the re3 sites, any bag will do, just tip them loose into the Podback containers.
Find your nearest re3 Recycling Centre.
 Spotted: a striking visitor to Hazebrouck Meadow
During recent conservation work around the pond at Hazebrouck Meadow in Arborfield, our volunteers made an exciting discovery, a wasp spider (Argiope bruennichi).
With its vivid yellow and black stripes, this harmless mimic of a wasp is a rare and fascinating find in the UK.
Originally from continental Europe, wasp spiders have only recently begun to appear in Britain. They spin large orb webs in grasslands, often featuring a distinctive zig-zag silk pattern known as a stabilimentum.
Though their appearance is dramatic, they pose no threat to humans, only to the insects they prey on.
Their presence at Hazebrouck Meadow is a promising sign that our habitat management is helping to support biodiversity and attract a wider range of species.
Lots of residents had spotted these around the borough and in their gardens, have you?
 More time to go solar with Solar Together
The registration deadline for Solar Together Berkshire has been extended to Friday 29 August, giving you a little more time to take advantage of this group-buying scheme for solar panels and battery storage.
More than 500 Wokingham Borough residents have already signed up, helping to reduce energy bills and support our journey towards becoming a carbon neutral borough.
Solar Together offers a trusted way for homeowners and businesses to access competitive pricing through pre-vetted suppliers. The more people who register, the better the deal for everyone.
Register by 29 August to receive your personalised, no-obligation offer.
 Contract agreed to expand electric vehicle support
More than 460 electric vehicle (EV) chargepoints will be installed across the borough to help residents and businesses embrace the technology.
We're among the first councils to award a contract to a supplier under the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund.
We'll work with Believ to set up a comprehensive and inclusive chargepoint network by 2030, which will be powered by 100 per cent renewable energy.
The Department for Transport will contribute £264,000 through LEVI funding while Believ will invest £2.83 million and will install, operate and maintain the network.
Most chargepoints will be at the kerbside for long-stay or overnight use, with some rapid or ultra-rapid units in public car parks for faster top-ups.
They should all be installed within the second year of the contract, mostly in places where households would find it difficult to set up a charger.
Buzzing with energy, a successful EV event
This follows a successful electric vehicle event at Winnersh Triangle Business Park in July. More than 200 people attended to browse a range of EVs and learn more about the savings and grants available.
There were 160 test drives with lots of first-timers, while our My Journey Wokingham team showcased electric cargo bikes for business.
With new petrol and diesel cars set to be phased out by 2030, we want to help everyone through the transition to an electric future.
 Scan your home's hot spots with Wokingham Library
Make your next collection at Wokingham Library a thermal imaging camera.
The library now has two of these devices which residents can borrow for free to check their home's insulation - important for both hot and cold weather so you can find out exactly where your home loses energy.
The easy-to-use cameras allow you to inspect your home with infrared technology to find insulation and heat loss problems around your home. They can help you identify home improvements that can help you stay warmer in winter and cooler during the summer.
You need to be a library member to borrow a thermal camera and these can be reserved online. The camera can be borrowed free of charge for one week.
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