Delivery of new waterproof recycling bags, blue general waste bags and food waste bags to residents across Wokingham borough has begun.
All items will be dropped at doorsteps together during the next seven weeks, with all residents receiving them by mid-April.
Residents will be able to check when their delivery is due by using the street name checking tool on our website.
This explains when deliveries should happen and what to do if you think you have been missed during the drop off period for your street.
What each delivery includes
Each delivery will include two new waterproof recycling bags, 80 blue general waste bags and about 100 food waste bags. The waterproof bags can be used as soon as residents get them.
If residents need more than two bags, they should keep using their black boxes, but only for non-paper/card items such as cans, tins and plastics.
Additional recycling bags will be available after the rollout is complete. More information on how to get additional recycling bags will be added to our website later in the spring.
Cllr Parry Batth, executive member for environment and leisure, said: “As soon as you get your new waterproof recycling bags you can start using them. If you need extra space for your recycling until you can get more waterproof bags, you can continue to use black boxes for non-paper and card items.
“Once the bags are fully rolled out we expect the borough’s recycling rate to rise as more paper and card will be able to be recycled as it will be kept dry, helping us towards our goal of 70 per cent recycling in the borough by 2030.”
Background on waterproof recycling bags
In late 2019, paper and card reprocessing plants stopped accepting wet materials. We are replacing the black boxes with sealable waterproof recycling bags to ensure the paper and card our residents put out for recycling stays dry and meets the new standards.
The waterproof recycling bags have a weight at the bottom to prevent them blowing away. They are made of long-lasting materials which should last for up to five years.
They also weigh less than the black boxes, making handling easier. When our crews collect recycling from the bags, they will leave them in the location where they collect them.
The only change for residents is the container for recycling; collections will remain weekly on the same day as they are currently. The waterproof bags will help the council towards its target of 70 per cent recycling by 2030.
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