Last updated:
19th April 2024
Ways to reduce your footprint - recycling
Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle
As waste breaks down in landfill it releases gases that play a part in climate change. Food waste, for example, decays when it is sent to landfill instead of being recycled and this releases the destructive greenhouse gases into the air. And some waste, like certain kinds of plastic, never disappears.
By making smart decisions about what we buy and how we get the most out of our purchases, you can help reduce the amount of waste Wokingham Borough produces, reduce our emissions and help work towards a carbon neutral Borough by 2030.
Items that break or fall apart can often be fixed to prolong their life. We can also reuse items for the same or a different purpose, giving many of the things that would otherwise be thrown away a second life. And when it is finally time to throw something away, recycling makes sure that the materials used to make it are used again.
Reduce
Reducing the amount of waste, you produce in the first instance is the most important and best way of minimising your impact on the environment.
How to reduce
- Not buying items that you do not need, by only replacing items when they can no longer be used or are beyond repair.
- Try to reduce your food waste by planning your meals and using leftovers. Any food that is thrown away can be put in your black food caddy for collection.
- If an item is damaged, try to repair the item rather than buying something new. Clothes and electronics are good examples of items which are often thrown out when they become damaged, yet they can often be repaired. We have three monthly repair cafes in the Borough, click on the links below for more information.
- Not buying and using single use plastic items such as straws, plastic cups and drinks that are sold in plastic bottles which are used once then thrown away.
- You can also reduce your impact on the planet by trying to reduce buying items that have excessive packaging.
- If you need to print out a document, print on both sides of paper. If you have paper that you have printed on one side only, you could use the back to write on
Reuse
- Selling an item you no longer want by advertising it on one of the many websites or social media marketplaces.
- Give it to a friend that needs the item.
- Donate it to a charity shop where it can be sold to raise money for a good cause. You can find your nearest charity shop by visiting the Charity Retail Association website and entering your postcode. We recommend checking with the charity shop on which items they can take before donating.
- Give it to somebody who is looking for something, via websites such as Freecycle or Freegle.
- Hold a car boot sale and earn some money visit eboots to find your nearest car boot venue.
- Make the item into something else completely. This is sometimes referred to as ‘upcycling’.
- If you do need to buy something, before you buy it new, see if you can buy one second-hand, borrow it from someone else or hire the item. As a bonus you will also save money!
- Using reusable period products, a staggering 200,000 tons of sanitary products end up in landfill in the UK alone. Over 1 million sanitary products are flushed down UK toilets every single day. Once it reaches the landfill, disposable towels and other sanitary products will take hundreds, maybe even thousands of years, to biodegrade. We’ve created partners for discounted reusable period products visit Wokingham Borough council discounted period products
- By switching from disposables to reusable nappies, families can significantly reduce their household waste. It is estimated that the average family with babies can halve their waste this way, avoiding about 750kg of waste per year. We are now offering a one-off cashback to parents who have bought reusable nappies valued over £30. Find out more at Wokingham rubbish and recycling
Recycling
Recycling is the process of turning used materials and waste into new products. A lot of our household waste can be broken down and reprocessed to make new things – this process uses less energy and resources than making items new so it offers a big boost to our environment and reduces the amount of carbon emissions into the atmosphere.
If you could use some help recycling more of your waste, or creating less in the first place, you can now get advice from a new smartphone app.
As part of the re3 waste management partnership between us, Bracknell Forest and Reading Borough Council, we've joined forces with new start-up Scrapp.
The company's free app for Apple and Android is designed to explain the ins and outs of recycling in an accessible, engaging and user-friendly way.
It's linked to a database of more than 36 million products, and you can scan a barcode to find out the most responsible way to dispose of it.
The app will soon also include bin reminders, which will help you to make the most of your collections and recycle as much as you can.
Recycle at home
- Use your green bags to recycle your waste. Find out what you can recycle in your kerbside recycling bags and where to recycle other items by visiting What to put in recycling bags.
- Look for the universal recycling symbol on packaging if you are unsure if an item is recyclable. One of the reasons why we recycle is to reduce the use of resources and energy when making new packaging so this could really help.
- Always wash containers before recycling, especially if there are remnants of food on them. Remove labels and bottle tops.
- Give unwanted clothes to charity, friends and family, or take them to a clothes-recycling service if they are no longer wearable.
- Recycle your food waste by making compost out of it. Simply collect organic food waste, such as fruit, vegetables, coffee grounds and eggshells, in a plastic bin with a lid and leave until it is decomposed.
- Recycle electricals and gadgets where possible.
For more information on Wokingham Borough Council waste collection, recycling and other services please visit our Rubbish and recycling section.
Gardening
If you have a garden or a small green space in your home, a few simple actions can make gardens more sustainable and contribute to protecting the planet. Here are some tips and ideas:
- Plant a tree - trees are brilliant at drawing down carbon from the atmosphere. A long-term plan to ensure trees and other greenery in Wokingham Borough is better cared for, and new vegetation planted has been developed. This will benefit both wildlife and local residents. For more information on our strategy visit Wokingham Borough Council Tree strategy
- Switch from mains to rains in your garden to save carbon. Use a water butt containing water that falls from your roof instead of turning on a tap from the mains supply or use a watering can instead of a hosepipe.
- Make your own compost – start with a base layer of soil which will help your heap get started and encourage the worms to move in and get busy. Add vegetable and fruit waste from your food caddy, coffee grounds, grass clippings and small plant clippings. You can add dead leaves, dead plants, egg-shells, small bits of cupboard or torn-up newspaper and straw.
- Plants for pollinators - Loss of habitat is one of the main reasons why we see fewer bees, butterflies and other insects visiting our gardens. Help by growing a wide variety of plants including a mixture of native, near-native and exotic plants to support pollinator diversity.
- Grow your own flowers - some imported flowers have up to 10 times the carbon footprint of home or UK-grown bouquets.
- Use electric - use power tools or mowers switched from fossil fuel to green energy, it not only reduces carbon emissions but also does not emit harmful particles in the air and reduces noise pollution too.
