West Berkshire Council

Delivery of new recycling boxes begins

Issued on 21 May 2008

Every household in West Berkshire will begin to receive new recycling containers in the next four weeks as part of a major scheme to double recycling rates in the district and reduce the amount of waste going to landfill to less than 20%.

There will be two new green boxes – one for paper and card, the other for glass – and a new green sack for plastic bottles and cans.  The collection of plastic bottles and card is a new kerbside service for residents and increases the types of material collected from households for recycling.

Delivery of the new containers will be accompanied by a comprehensive information leaflet showing how to use them and the types of waste that can be collected in each one. It will also include a calendar showing which days recycling and standard refuse will be collected.

The service using the new recycling containers will start from the fortnight beginning 23 June. 

West Berkshire Executive Councillor, Geoff Findlay, said: “This is great news for all local people and begins to put West Berkshire at the forefront of efficient waste management.  Crucially, it also gives West Berkshire residents the opportunity to make a real contribution to protecting the environment by recycling as much household waste as possible.”

Veolia Environmental Services’ General Manager, Keith McGurk said: “By bringing in this new recycling service, people across West Berkshire will be able to recycle even more from home.  In turn, this will reduce the amount of waste we send to landfill and increase the recycling rate.  We’re aiming to recycle more than 49% of our rubbish in the long term.”

Further information:

Keely Gallagher (01635) 587477 or 07887 942754   email: Keely.Gallagher@veolia.co.uk

Keith Ulyatt (01635) 519125   email: kulyatt@westberks.gov.uk