Waterproof recycling bag delivery begins 22 February
Waterproof recycling bags will start dropping on your doorsteps from 22 February. This will take place over a seven-week period with all deliveries completed by mid-April.
The new waterproof recycling bags will replace the existing black boxes. Each household will initially get two bags, with additional recycling bags available once the deliveries are complete. Please check Wokingham Borough Council’s website to find out how to get additional bags.
Please start using the new waterproof recycling bags as soon as possible. You can continue to use your black boxes for now. Wokingham Borough Council will announce when this grace period comes to an end.
If you need to keep using your black boxes, help keep paper and card dry by only using them for non-paper/card items such as cans, tins and plastics.
Why the switch from black boxes?
In late 2019, paper and card reprocessing plants stopped accepting wet materials. The Council is replacing the black boxes with sealable waterproof recycling bags to ensure the paper and card residents put out for recycling stays dry and meets the new standards.
The waterproof bags will help towards the Council’s target of 70 per cent recycling by 2030. The waterproof bags have a weight at the bottom so they won’t blow away.
They are made of long-lasting materials and should last for up to five years. As they weigh less than the black boxes, they are easier to take back inside. Collection crews will leave the bags where they have collected them from.
Blue general rubbish and green food waste bags will be delivered at the same time
Blue general waste and green food waste bags will be delivered at the same time as your waterproof recycling bags; as the Council is doing a joint delivery to make things easier for residents.
Each household will receive 80 blue bags in two rolls of 40 to cover the period between April 2021 and March 2022 and about 100 green food waste bags. We are hoping by delivering food waste bags to every household, more residents will recycle their food waste.
The size and quality of the two handled blue rubbish bags remains the same. Crews can only collect waste in these Council branded bags.
With 80 blue bags per household this works out at approximately 120 litres per week. This is the equivalent of a fortnightly 240 litre wheeled bin collection but with the extra flexibility of weekly collections and the ability to put out more waste in some weeks and less in others.
Later this month, Wokingham Borough Council’s website will contain information on the date of deliveries for the blue, green and recycling bags. If you need more blue bags before they are due to be delivered you can order and pay for these on our website and arrange for them to be delivered within 10 working days or collect them from one of the locations listed on the website.
What to do with Covid-19 contaminated waste
If you have tested positive for Covid-19 and/or symptoms and are self isolating, you should dispose of waste that is heavily contaminated in a different way to normal.
You should place the contaminated waste, such as tissues or cleaning wipes, in a plastic bag or bin liner, tie the top to prevent escape of the material. Then place this bag inside another bag and tie it securely.
This waste should be stored separately from other waste for at least 72 hours before putting it in with your general rubbish (blue bags) for collection. If your waste collection is less than 72 hours away, this bag should be put in with your blue bags to be collected the following week.
You can read more on the UK Government website and to get Wokingham specific Covid-19 information, you can sign up for our weekly Covid-19 updates.
Report a missed collection
Did you know if any of your waste collections are missed, you can easily report this online?
Wokingham Borough Council has made an animation to help guide you through what to do when your bags aren’t collected, your food waste caddy is left full or your recycling boxes aren’t emptied at the kerbside.
Once reported, it will be investigated to see if there is a reason why it was not collected. If no valid reason is recorded we will rearrange collection for you within two working days.
You can watch the video on their YouTube channel or report a missed collection on their website.
