Green Wokingham Waste scheme grows
Residents in Finchampstead have been doing there bit for the environment by recycling more than 1.5 tonnes of garden rubbish in the first week of the green waste scheme being rolled out in the area.
The fortnightly collection scheme, which has been progressively established across the Wokingham borough after a trial in 2005, was offered to people living in Finchampstead from February 21, with an unprecedented 1.5 tonnes being collected.
Wokingham Residents living in the area are now able to put out grass cuttings, leaves, garden clippings and weeds for free recycling collection and join the other 53,000 households in the borough who are already in areas covered by the scheme.
Through the scheme households are provided with a reusable green sack for garden waste that can be put out for free collection every fortnight. The collection takes place on the same day that household waste is collected but on the alternative week to the black box recycling collection. Up to two additional green sacks are available at a charge of £4 each. Green waste collected through the scheme is turned into compost rather than sent to rapidly diminishing landfill sites.
When the scheme was introduced in 2005 approximately 1,500 tonnes of green waste was collected per year, last year that had risen to more than 4,000 tonnes and, with the introduction of the Finchampstead area to the scheme, it is hoped this will rise again before the end of 2008.
Cllr Simon Weeks, executive member for Wokingham environment, said: “The green waste scheme is an important way of ensuring that Wokingham Borough residents can get rid of garden rubbish without having to send it to landfill, which is not only costly in landfill charges to the council and taxpayer, but also harmful to the environment.
“I’m pleased that so many residents of Finchampstead have already started to use the scheme and hope that as more and more people spring clean their gardens they too take advantage of this free scheme.”
Residents not currently part of the scheme can still have one bag of garden waste per property collected free of charge each week.
Composters are also available at a subsidised rate through the WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) Home Composting Scheme for anyone wanting an alternative way of dealing with green waste. They start from £17 including delivery and you can order one by calling 0845 077 0757 or by logging onto www.recyclenow.com/compost
Alternatively Wokingham borough residents can take green waste to Smallmead household waste and recycling centre, Island Road, Reading or to Longshot Lane civic amenity site in Bracknell. However anyone using Longshot Lane is advised to check its opening times from March 31, by calling freephone 0800 9883023 or visiting www.re3.org.uk, when work to redevelop the site starts. It will be closed to the public from Monday March 31 to Sunday April 6. From Monday April 7 the site will be open to residents from 5pm to 8pm on weekdays and will remain open at weekends and bank holidays from 8am to 6pm in the winter and until 8pm in the summer.
The fortnightly collection scheme, which has been progressively established across the Wokingham borough after a trial in 2005, was offered to people living in Finchampstead from February 21, with an unprecedented 1.5 tonnes being collected.
Wokingham Residents living in the area are now able to put out grass cuttings, leaves, garden clippings and weeds for free recycling collection and join the other 53,000 households in the borough who are already in areas covered by the scheme.
Through the scheme households are provided with a reusable green sack for garden waste that can be put out for free collection every fortnight. The collection takes place on the same day that household waste is collected but on the alternative week to the black box recycling collection. Up to two additional green sacks are available at a charge of £4 each. Green waste collected through the scheme is turned into compost rather than sent to rapidly diminishing landfill sites.
When the scheme was introduced in 2005 approximately 1,500 tonnes of green waste was collected per year, last year that had risen to more than 4,000 tonnes and, with the introduction of the Finchampstead area to the scheme, it is hoped this will rise again before the end of 2008.
Cllr Simon Weeks, executive member for Wokingham environment, said: “The green waste scheme is an important way of ensuring that Wokingham Borough residents can get rid of garden rubbish without having to send it to landfill, which is not only costly in landfill charges to the council and taxpayer, but also harmful to the environment.
“I’m pleased that so many residents of Finchampstead have already started to use the scheme and hope that as more and more people spring clean their gardens they too take advantage of this free scheme.”
Residents not currently part of the scheme can still have one bag of garden waste per property collected free of charge each week.
Composters are also available at a subsidised rate through the WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) Home Composting Scheme for anyone wanting an alternative way of dealing with green waste. They start from £17 including delivery and you can order one by calling 0845 077 0757 or by logging onto www.recyclenow.com/compost
Alternatively Wokingham borough residents can take green waste to Smallmead household waste and recycling centre, Island Road, Reading or to Longshot Lane civic amenity site in Bracknell. However anyone using Longshot Lane is advised to check its opening times from March 31, by calling freephone 0800 9883023 or visiting www.re3.org.uk, when work to redevelop the site starts. It will be closed to the public from Monday March 31 to Sunday April 6. From Monday April 7 the site will be open to residents from 5pm to 8pm on weekdays and will remain open at weekends and bank holidays from 8am to 6pm in the winter and until 8pm in the summer.
Wokingham Borough Council
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