RESIDENTS have been thanked for their efforts after the borough had no wet waste rejected by recycling plants.
Last week, Wokingham Borough Council leader John Halsall shared data on social media showing that despite May being one of the wettest in years, the new green bags had helped residents to prevent their recycling from being sodden.
This helps the council meet stricter standards placed by paper and card recycling companies, who want dry waste to make it easier to reuse.
In December last year, also a wet month with 73.7mm of rain falling, the council saw 500 tonnes rejected, mostly for being too wet.
The council said this is equivalent to almost 40 double decker buses in weight being sent to landfill.
This was one of the last months under the old black box scheme for recycling. Since the spring, residents have been using the new green bags which have a Velcro seal. And the council said that in May, despite 85.3mm of rain, they worked as nothing was rejected.
Residents have also been recycling more: rates for April and May are more than 50% higher, and on track to increase in the years ahead.
“The data shows our switch to waterproof recycling bags will help boost the council’s recycling rate throughout the year ahead, without concerns about the wetter months,” said Cllr Parry Batth, executive member for environment and leisure at Wokingham Borough Council.
“I’d like to thank residents for their patience while deliveries took place and praise everyone for making use of them, which will have a lasting positive impact on the borough, its recycling rate and wider climate emergency goals.”
This was a view echoed by Cllr Halsall, who said that residents had embraced the new scheme.
“They’ve really stepped up to the plate,” he said. “My postbag is full of people who say the green bags are really good, much more manoeuvrable.
“We were going to pick up all the black boxes, but we’re not going to do that now because nobody seems to want to really relinquish them.
“All in all, it’s rolled out well, which is very, very pleasing. Thank you to all residents for doing, notwithstanding May being the wettest one for decades, we seem to have avoided any rejected loads.”
But Cllr Clive Jones, the Lib Dem spokesperson for environment, said: “In May the amount of wet waste was zero. I find it very, very difficult to believe as it was so wet. They should show evidence from re3.
“I assume it was also zero wet waste for Bracknell Forest and Reading Borough councils. I do find it all very difficult to believe.”
And Cllr Jones also didn’t agree that residents were happy with the green bags.
“We are beginning to hear complaints from some that the green bags don’t do anything. Some are saying that the bags are wet inside (after being left out) and they are having to dry them out.”
