A new vision for Waste and Resource Management in West Berkshire!

Subject to approval by the Council's Executive, West Berkshire Council will soon be looking to launch a public consultation on our new draft Waste Management Strategy. We want to hear from residents about our plans to reduce general waste, increase recycling, improve our kerbside recycling offering, improve our streets, and lead the way in sustainable practices across the district.

We've made great strides in boosting recycling across West Berkshire. Our weekly food waste collection has already saved over 7,600 tonnes from landfill, which in turn has created soil conditioner right here in West Berkshire used by local landowners, landscapers and available for residents to collect during our biannual Soil Conditioner giveaways. We're also improving our separate weekly food waste collections for flats by trialling new containers to make it easier and more appealing, which we hope will increase participation.

We have introduced new services such as: battery collection at your doorstep, coffee pod and vape recycling at our Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs), plus more collection points for small electrical items, cartons, and plastic pots, tubs and trays. These new services have helped increase our recycling rate from 49% to 54% in the last year.

However, 22% of black bin waste is still food, with another 25% made up of materials that could be recycled through kerbside collection services. This shows there's still room for West Berkshire to recycle even more, reducing the amount of waste put out for collection in the black bin.

Our vision is for a greener future and here's what we are striving for in our draft Waste Management Strategy:

• Increase recycling rates to 60% by 2030.
• Cut residual waste to 120kg per person per year by 2042.
• Help West Berkshire achieve Net Zero by 2030.
• Keep West Berkshire a great place to live and work.
• Lead the way and set an example for residents and businesses.

The consultation will focus on key themes like:

• Reducing waste and boosting recycling.
• Improving the appearance of our streets.
• Leading the way in sustainable waste practices.

We're exploring several options to improve waste management, increase recycling rates, and reduce our carbon footprint, through the draft Waste Management Strategy, with some of the actions under review including:

• Changing waste collection frequency.
• Reviewing household waste containers.
• Expanding the range of items we recycle.
• Boosting education on waste management, especially in schools.
• Stepping up efforts to tackle littering and fly-tipping.

Cllr Stuart Gourley, Executive Member for Environment and Highways at West Berkshire Council, said:

"Our draft Waste Management Strategy is a crucial part of our efforts to reduce waste and increase recycling across West Berkshire, and continue our route, as a council, to net zero. We've made incredible progress so far, but with your input, we can do even better and go further.

"Your feedback will help shape a sustainable future for West Berkshire, ensuring it remains a greener and cleaner place to live, learn, work and play for generations to come. So please get involved and have your say when the consultation goes live soon."

Subject to approval by the Council's Executive, our aim is to open the consultation in late September and let it run for 6 weeks. You will be able to share your views online or request a paper copy. Stay tuned for more information and be ready to share your views.