Wokingham Borough Waste update
Deliveries continue across the borough
Rubbish collection crews are now seeing more and more waterproof recycling bags in use across the borough.
More than 12,000 households have now had their delivery bundle, which includes two waterproof recycling bags, 80 blue general waste bags and 100 food waste recycling bags.
Wokingham Borough Council remain’s on track to deliver to all households by mid-April. Delivery crews will also be working weekends to ensure all residents get their items as quickly as possible – so keep an eye out for yours.
You can use WBC’s website to check when your delivery is due by and how to report if you think your delivery has been missed. You can also watch its YouTube video on how to use the bags.
Finding a new use for your black boxes
Now thousands of you have your bags and are using them, you might be wondering what to do with your old black recycling boxes.
If you have got your first two bags, you can keep using the black boxes for now but only with non-paper and non-card items. We will advise you in due course how you can order more bags if required.
Once you have enough waterproof recycling bags for all your recycling, please only use these and repurpose your black boxes. Suggestions to reuse the boxes include:
- Use for storage in the garage, shed or loft
- Make a garden planter
- Use to grow vegetables
- Store your glass for the bottle bank
- If you don’t want them your neighbours might, ask around to see if others want them
Do not leave your black boxes out for collection if you can’t repurpose them. There will be a dedicated collection period later this year. We will let you know when collections will be.
Renew your garden waste subscriptions
All you green fingered residents across Wokingham Borough will soon be able to apply for a garden waste collection for 2021-22.
Anyone signed up for a collection for 2020-21 will get an email or letter asking them to sign up to use a brown wheelie bin for the new financial year.
Residents will be directed to sign up via our website from next week, with the cost covering the period from 1 May 2021 until 30 April 2022.
The price of a garden waste collection has increased slightly by £5 to £65 for the year. The price of individual brown garden waste sacks, which have a 75-litre capacity, has also increased, from £1 to £1.10. This is the first price increase since the service launched in 2012 and is to cover increased running costs.
How to dispose of a home Covid-19 test
Thousands of children returned to school across the borough this week, with families now being able to access at home lateral flow tests.
If you’ve used these kits at home, you should then dispose of them in the following way:
- After use put all the test kit contents, including the sachets, swabs and extraction tubes, into the small waste bag provided with the kit and seal it
- Place this bag into your blue general waste bags
- The outer packaging, including cardboard box, cardboard sleeve and leaflet, can be recycled in your waterproof recycling bag (or black recycling box until your recycling bags are delivered) once you are finished with the series of tests
These tests are available to households and support/childcare bubbles of school staff and all school pupils. You can order tests online through the Gov.uk website.
