Published on
8 May 2024
New bins arrive in borough as rollout date approaches
More than 60,000 wheeled rubbish bins will be delivered to households before new collections start in August
The first black wheeled rubbish bins have arrived in Wokingham Borough and will soon be delivered to households as the council prepares to change its waste collections.
The rollout starts on Monday, 20 May and runs until late July - but residents shouldn't use their new bins straight away, as the collections aren't changing until Monday, 12 August.
They should keep putting rubbish out in blue bags for now, aiming for no more than one blue bag per week, along with their usual green recycling bags and food waste bin.
Each wheeled rubbish bin will come sealed with tape and will have a recyclable cardboard hanger reminding people not to use it yet. More information will be sent out over the summer.
Changes around the corner
When collections change, rubbish will be collected every two weeks from the new wheeled bin. Only one full bin with the lid closed will be collected, with no extra waste in any other containers.
Recycling will also be collected every two weeks, on weeks when rubbish isn't collected, from the existing green bags.
Food waste will still be collected weekly, so residents should use their food bin as much as they can, to reduce smells in their rubbish bin and leave room for the few non-recyclable goods that belong in it.
Before collections change, each household will receive a leaflet explaining the new service in more detail. This will include a calendar showing which collections fall in each week until July 2025.
Almost every household in the borough will keep their existing collection day, and they'll be able to look up their collection schedules online.
Start getting ready now - could you recycle more?
More than 60,000 bins will be delivered over the coming months. When residents receive theirs, they should label it with their house number to ensure their bin is returned after collection.
Once collections change, the council will only collect one full bin per fortnight with the lid fully closed. The bin holds 180 litres, the equivalent of about two full blue bags, so residents should prepare by recycling all they can.
About 70 per cent of the things that are thrown away in Wokingham Borough can be recycled, but right now only 55 per cent is actually recycled. This is good compared to other areas but needs to increase even further in years to come.
This will help the council to save money and do all it can to address the climate emergency by reducing carbon emissions. Additionally, all local authorities will be expected to recycle at least 65 per cent of their waste by 2035.
Help us build on our successes
Cllr Stephen Conway, the leader of Wokingham Borough Council, said: "We're proud of how much we recycle already, but we need to do even better and these waste collection changes are key to this.
"Similar systems have seen huge improvements for other councils, so we should see the same here as long as people follow our simple guidance on reducing their waste and recycling as much as possible.
"There are parts of the borough where recycling could improve, so our engagement teams are working with those residents to help them understand it's important - and easier than they might imagine.
"Most of the things that we throw away can be recycled, and recycling more will make it much easier to adapt to the changes that are coming."
Getting to know your bins
The black wheeled rubbish bins are manufactured by IPL, a British supplier that was chosen following a formal procurement process.
The bins are 1.05m (105cm) tall with the lid closed, 57.8cm wide and 64.5cm deep. They weigh 9.8kg when empty, with a wheel diameter of 20cm, and are suitable for all weathers.
They will be replaced free of charge if they're damaged on collection day and the crew reports this. There will be a charge for any other replacements.
If residents recycle all they can, the bins should only contain bagged pet litter and animal waste, general dust and dirt, black plastic food container trays, polystyrene, disposable nappies and sanitary waste.
Plastic film and bags or bubble wrap may be thrown away but can also be recycled at some supermarkets.
Everything else can go in green recycling bags, food waste bins or the optional brown garden waste bins, or can be recycled at collection points like bottle banks.
