After last year’s changes, I suspect many of us would rather never talk about bins again… but as waste and recycling now fall within my Executive portfolio, I’m embracing my ‘rubbish’ chat (!)
Wokingham Borough Council has been working to respond to the Government’s new Simpler Recycling legislation, which aims to standardise recycling across England and boost the national rate – currently around 45%.
We’re already ahead of the curve. Thanks to your efforts, Wokingham Borough achieved an impressive 58% recycling rate in 2024/25, putting us among the top performers in the country. That’s despite not collecting glass at the kerbside – instead, over 3,200 tonnes of glass is recycled each year through the network of bottle banks. This represents 84% of the glass waste in the borough, compared to a national average of 75% – a credit to everyone who takes the time to use the banks.
That said, we know many residents would welcome the convenience of kerbside glass collection. We’ve developed a proposal for monthly collections using boxes, but the costs are significant: over £1 million in upfront investment, plus annual operating costs more than ten times those of running the current bottle bank network.
These costs are competitive – negotiated as part of the recent renewal of our entire waste collection contract. And with six years remaining on our waste disposal contract, investing now in a full overhaul of the recycling facility to allow glass to be collected with our other recycling would be even more expensive.
I recently visited the Smallmead Recycling Centre and saw just how complex our current system is – well worth a visit if you’re interested in what happens after your bin is collected! Separating materials effectively – like aluminium, paper and plastics – helps achieve higher resale values and keeps costs down. It also maximises the environmental benefit by ensuring more of our waste really does get a second (or third, or fourth..) life.
We want to make recycling as easy as possible, but we also need to be realistic about finances. The council continues to face serious financial pressures, and early signs suggest our next central government grant could be lower still. That’s why we propose waiting for confirmation of our three-year funding settlement before making any major decisions on glass recycling.
At Monday’s cross-party Overview & Scrutiny meeting, officers and I presented the options and challenges around introducing a kerbside glass collection. There was unanimous support to continue engaging with central government to seek flexibility in how the national legislation is applied to consider value for money in light of our strong local performance. There were also thoughtful comments about ensuring accessibility for all residents if and when changes are made.
Thanks to all my colleagues on the committee for their insights, and to officers for the huge amount of work that goes into consideration of these potential changes – I hope all my future scrutiny appearances are as constructive as this first one!
By Cllr Katrin Harding
