You might have heard plans for councils across England to standardise kerbside recycling collections by April 2026, something that’s part of the Government’s Simpler Recycling initiative. 

The only waste stream we don’t currently collect at the kerbside is glass. We’ve decided to pause a final decision on the introduction of this in Wokingham Borough while we wait for more clarity on Government funding. Here’s why.  

We’ve been clear in our calls for fairer funding that reflects the true cost of meeting our community’s needs.

As it stands, almost £50 million of Wokingham Borough’s council tax could effectively be distributed elsewhere over the next three years under proposals being considered by the government.   

This potential significant loss of funding is the backdrop to our decision to pause. 

We fully support the aims of the Government’s Simpler Recycling initiative, but the estimated £1.5 million setup cost and £710,000 annual running costs are hard to justify given the financial pressures we’re facing. 

In July, we produced a report on Simpler Recycling glass kerbside collection for our Community and Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

In this, we recommended delaying a final decision until we received details of the Government’s three-year funding settlement, expected later this year.

Committee Members agreed with this approach, asking us to pause, gather more information and engage with DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs). 

Thanks to you, our residents, we already recycle 84 per cent of glass through our bottle bank network. Kerbside collection would only increase this by a modest amount, around 0.5 per cent of our overall recycling rate. 

We’re continuing to work with DEFRA and expect more details on the Government’s three-year funding settlement later this year.  

For now, we’re proposing to start monthly kerbside glass collections in February 2027 and flexible plastics in April 2027.

We’ll keep you updated as things progress and remain committed to delivering sustainable waste and recycling services that meet the needs of our community.