BOROUGH residents can now apply for garden waste collections for 2020-2021.
The opt-in system means that this year, residents who are already signed up for the garden waste collection service will receive a letter asking them to pay online for use of a bin from Wednesday, April 1 until Wednesday, March 31, 2021.
The letters will be sent out this week.
The council said that invoices will no longer be issued to residents to charge them for the service, but instead payment should be made online. This will include the cost of the 240-litre brown wheelie bin, at £60.
Those who already have a brown bin and are renewing will receive a purple sticker to attach to the bin.
If signing up for the first time, the bin will be delivered with a purple sticker attached.
There are already 20,000 households across Wokingham borough subscribed to the service, which takes away garden clippings, grass cuttings, leaves and weeds fortnightly from the kerbside.
Using the service means residents can have 6,240 litres of green material collected from their house each year – more than one large skip.
Once collected, green waste is sent to Oxfordshire to a composting facility, creating re3grow compost, which is available for residents to buy via Re3’s household waste recycling centres in the spring and summer months.
The compost bags cost £3.50 per 40-litre bag — the cost of producing it.
It is hoped that borough residents will use it in their gardens making the most of a circular economy — where waste is collected and turned into a useful resource.
Cllr Michael Firmager, deputy executive member for environment and leisure, said: “It’s great to see we have so many keen gardeners and growers in our borough, with more than 20,000 people taking advantage of our garden waste collections last year.
“I hope those numbers only continue to grow, particularly with all the materials collected being used in the circular economy to create compost and go back into our residents gardens.”
Residents who do not want to sign up for a brown wheelie bin can still take advantage of garden waste collections using the council’s brown compostable sacks.
These have a capacity of 75-litres and cost £1 each.
They can be bought from the council’s offices or local libraries, and residents will be told their collection day for these upon purchase.
For more information, or to opt-in to the garden waste collection service, visit www.wokingham.gov.uk/ordergardenwastecollection.
Residents can also 0118 974 6000 and select the “waste” option, or pay in person at the council’s Shute End offices.
For information about waste collection dates, visit www.wokingham.gov.uk (search garden waste).
