Frequently Asked Questions

Using, storing, and putting out your bin

Do I have to have a wheeled bin?

• You can’t opt out of the new bin service if you live in a property that is changing to the new collections, which includes most households in the borough.
• All households that have frontage of any kind (grass, gravel and so on) will be given a bin, which they must use to store and present any non-recyclable rubbish for collection.
• If you refuse your bin on delivery, our crews won’t collect your rubbish from any other type of container on collection day.
• A small number of properties with no frontage, and no outside access to a back garden, are being contacted to confirm that they are staying on weekly bagged collections.

Where should I store my bin, and what if I have limited space?

• You should store your bin within the boundaries of your property, for example in the front or back garden.
• You may need to clear a small area in your front garden to allow for the storage of your new bin.

Where should I leave my bin to ensure it is emptied on collection day?

• You should leave your wheeled bin at the edge of your property on your fortnightly rubbish collection day.
• You must not leave your wheeled bin in the street or on any other public land.

Will my collections happen on the same day as they do now?

• We’re still reviewing our collection rounds, and this could mean changes to your collection day, but don’t worry – we’ll get in touch to let you know, and you'll also be able to look it up on our website.

What if all my rubbish won’t fit in the bin?

• We won’t empty your bin if there’s too much rubbish in it – the lid must be closed. We also won’t collect any other rubbish left nearby. We will only empty one full bin with a closed lid.
• If you’re struggling to fit all your rubbish in your wheeled bin, it probably means you aren’t recycling as much as you could.
• We’ve found that more than half of what some residents throw away as rubbish in Wokingham Borough can and should be recycled. You can read our advice on recycling more.
• If you’re recycling as much as you can each week and using all the recycling services provided, you’ll find the amount of rubbish you produce shrinks dramatically.
• We know change can be hard, but this system is widely used elsewhere and residents of other boroughs have found they’re recycling much more as a result.

Can I put bagged rubbish in my black wheeled bin?

• Yes - once wheeled rubbish bin collections start, you can bag up your rubbish using any leftover blue bags and put them in your bin for collection. If you have no blue bags, you can buy bin liners from shops.

If I recycle all I can, what will I still need to throw away as rubbish?

Only these items will still need to go into your rubbish:

• Pet litter and animal waste (bagged)
• Dust and dirt, including dirt from your vacuum cleaner
• Black plastic food waste trays
• Polystyrene
• Disposable nappies and sanitary waste
• You can put plastic film and bags or bubble wrap in your rubbish, but you can recycle these at some supermarkets in the borough

Can I keep on using my traditional dustbin?

• No - if you’re given a wheeled bin, you’ll need to use it. If you’re one of the few households that aren’t given a wheeled bin, you can continue using your dustbin but you must ensure rubbish bags are tied so our crews can lift them out.

How big will my wheeled rubbish bin be, and how much does it weigh?

• The black wheeled rubbish bins are 1.05m (105cm) tall with the lid closed, 57.8cm wide at the base including the wheels and 54.6cm wide at the top rim, and 64.5cm deep.
• They weigh 9.8kg when empty, have a wheel diameter of 20cm and are tested for use in all UK weather conditions.

Can I decorate my wheeled bin?

• Absolutely - and we also encourage you to write your house number or address on the bin we give you.
• You can buy number stickers from most budget and hardware stores and it’s fine to personalise or decorate your bin using paint, stickers, bin wraps or similar.

What can I do with my old dustbin?

• Your own dustbin could still be useful but if you no longer want it, you could offer it on Freecycle or your local community Facebook pages.

Here are some ideas for other re-use:

• Cut out the bottom and make it into a compost bin
• Use it to store compost, food for animals like horses and chickens, gardening tools or kindling
• Metal ones can be made into braziers
• Use it to store your green recycling bags between collections

Will the council replace my bin if it goes missing or is stolen?

• We'll replace any bins free of charge if they're damaged on collection day and our crew reports this. There'll be a charge for all other replacements.

What if people put their wheeled bins out on the street and cause an obstruction?

• We’ll be hiring dedicated outreach workers to knock on doors in areas where problems are reported, and they’ll help people understand how to use the new service considerately.

Special circumstances

I live in a flat – are my waste collections changing?

• Your collection day may change but if you live in a block of flats or a property with a shared bin store area, everything else will stay the same with weekly collections.
• We’ll be assessing some houses converted into flats to work out their needs. These properties will receive new bins tailored to the number of people living there and space available.

Who will these changes affect, and are there exceptions?

All households will receive a wheeled bin and change to the new collections, except:

• Flats with communal collections.
• Households with no front or side gardens to store a wheeled bin and no access to a rear garden other than through the house.
• Households on narrow lanes where access is restricted, and regular waste collection vehicles are not used

We’ll be sending a leaflet to all households before the middle of March 2024, along with a roll of either 20 or 54 blue rubbish bags. The leaflets will explain whether their collections are changing (along with 20 bags, to cover the period until the new collections start in mid-August) or staying the same (along with 54 bags, to cover a full year at roughly one bag per week).

I physically can’t wheel my bin to the edge of my property

• We offer assisted collections for residents who are not able to do this and don’t have anyone else in the house who can do it for them.
• If you’re in this position and aren’t already registered for assisted collections, please complete our online form and we’ll look at your application.
• For residents who qualify, our waste crews will collect, empty, and return their waste containers to and from an agreed location.

I have a gravel driveway and this will make putting a bin out more difficult

• Consider storing your bin as close as possible to the edge of your property to make it easier to put out for collection.

We have a family annexe and need a bin for this property too

• Bins will be provided based on our council tax registry. If the occupants of the annex pay their council tax separately, they’ll be given a separate bin.

Will you provide more bin space for larger families?

• We’ll be contacting residents who’ve already asked us for more blue rubbish bags and will assess their situation before the changes start.
• Households that haven't previously needed the extra space will be encouraged to try the new bins, as these are big enough for most households.
• Under some circumstances, we may provide bigger bins to larger households that are already recycling as much as they can.
• If you haven’t previously needed extra bags but think you’ll need more capacity, there’ll be a new application form on our website later this year.

I don’t generate enough waste to fill a 180 litre bin every fortnight. Can I have a smaller one?

• Smaller bins are not available. We decided to provide 180 litre wheeled bins as they are more stable and less likely to topple.

What if my children are in nappies and I don’t want to store these in a wheeled bin?

• We can provide advice on buying and using re-usable nappies – and we also offer a one-off cashback scheme to save money on re-usable nappies.
• If you continue to use disposable nappies and we give you a wheeled bin, double-wrapping the nappies in plastic bags will be enough to store them securely until they’re collected.

I have pets and produce lots of animal waste – will my rubbish bin be big enough?

• If you don’t have enough room in your wheeled rubbish bin for pet waste, you can take bagged pet waste to either of re3's recycling centres.

What if I have medical waste that I’m worried about storing for two weeks?

• If we give you a wheeled bin, you can double wrap your medical waste in plastic bags and it will be stored securely until it is collected.
• If you haven't previously needed extra space for your medical waste, you'll be encouraged to try the new bins as these are big enough for most households.

I only generate a very small amount of rubbish, so can I share a wheeled bin with a neighbour?

• You can agree privately to share the space in your bin with a neighbour, but every household with enough space outside to store a wheeled bin will be given one and you will remain responsible for the contents of your bin.

Recycling: green bags and food waste

What if I don’t have enough green recycling bags or a food waste bin?

• You can collect more green recycling bags free of charge from several hubs around the borough and we encourage you to do this as soon as you can.
• Food waste bins are also free and you can collect them from several hubs around the borough if you don’t have one already.

How am I meant to store two weeks' worth of recycling on my property?

• Our green recycling bags can be safely left outside, until you’re ready to put them out on your next collection date, if they are sealed properly. They don't need to be stored indoors.
• It may be helpful to keep them in a shed or bin store, or inside your old traditional dustbin if you have one. You can also stack them against a garden wall, fence or other surface.
• If you compact your recycling as much as possible, particularly items like cardboard boxes, plastic bottles and drinks cans, you should have plenty of space.
• In other areas which use wheeled recycling bins, these are typically limited to 240 litres - the same amount as four of our 60-litre green sacks.
• We're not limiting how many green recycling bags you can put out for collection, but most households should find four are enough.

I don’t think green bags are suitable for storing two weeks’ worth of recycling

• Other councils, including West Berkshire and elsewhere, collect recycling fortnightly from several different containers including bags and boxes. Their residents adapted to these changes and their recycling rates have continued to increase.
• Our green bags are waterproof when they’re sealed. If your bag won’t seal, you can order replacements free of charge or contact us to report faulty bags, stating when you collected them and which collection point you picked them up from.

Will you be collecting glass at the kerbside in future?

• There are no plans to do so immediately. However, we’re reviewing the details of the newly-published Environment Act, which includes glass collection, and will look at all options in future.
• For now, we’re happy that most people can easily recycle glass at bottle banks, as we’ve found that less than four per cent of a typical blue bag’s contents is glass.

Will you be collecting soft plastics at the kerbside in future?

• There are no plans to do so immediately. However, we’ll be reviewing our waste collection contract in 2026 and will look at all options.

Why aren’t you collecting recycling every week?

• The system of fortnightly collections, alternating weekly, is widely used elsewhere and has a long, proven track record of increasing recycling rates while being simple to follow.
• It wouldn’t be possible to collect recycling weekly because, when the changes come in, our existing vehicles will collect your rubbish on one week and recycling the next.
• The vehicles have two main sections, one for rubbish and another for recycling. Under the changes, both will be filled with rubbish one week and recycling the next.
• They all have a separate collection area for food, so this can still be collected weekly alongside either rubbish or recycling.
• However, if we wanted to collect two weeks’ worth of rubbish at the same time as a week’s worth of recycling, we’d need two vehicles for each household and this wouldn’t be practical.

Environmental and financial questions

Will the changes lead to an increase in fly-tipping?

• Changes to waste collections are not an excuse to fly-tip – it's illegal and irresponsible, and fines can be substantial.
• Our colleagues at Bracknell Forest Council didn’t see an increase in fly-tipping when they reduced the frequency of their rubbish collections.
• Our anti-social behaviour (ASB) team regularly crack down on fly-tippers and you should report any incidents to us.

Why would carbon emissions decrease if waste collection vehicles still visit weekly?

• Our vehicles are currently divided into three sections – one for recycling, one for rubbish and a third for food. If one section fills up, the vehicle must return to the depot to empty it even if the others aren’t full.
• Under the changes we'll fill the two rear sections with only rubbish one week and with only recycling the next. This uses the space more efficiently and needs fewer trips to the tip, cutting carbon emissions.

We already pay too much council tax

• It’s true that our residents pay a higher percentage of service costs than anywhere else, about 85 per cent, because we get less Government funding than any other unitary authority.
• However, council tax doesn’t just fund services we all use, like roads and waste. More than half is spent on helping children and adults with all kinds of care needs, including older people.
• You may not need these services now, but you or someone you love may need them one day - and we’ve got to prioritise them as we look to make essential savings and avoid financial disaster.

Why this need to make savings?

• The cost of everything we buy or build is increasing, as are annual costs like energy bills - just as they are for residents. Sadly, inflation hits us as hard as anybody else.
• For example, when we reduced the number of blue rubbish bags we provided from 80 to 54 a year, this didn’t save us a penny because the cost of producing each bag had increased so much.
• At the same time, we’ve been underfunded by the Government for many years because there is a perception that we’re better off and don’t need as much money.
• We’re lobbying for a fairer deal on this and supporting any residents affected by rising living costs.
• Other councils have effectively gone bankrupt recently, forcing them to make drastic cuts and hike council tax to recover. We’re determined not to let that happen here.

Are any other savings going to be made?

• We’re considering a range of savings across various services, as well as changing how we work and looking at our own practices to become as efficient as possible.
• Any active consultations on savings will be published on our Engage Wokingham Borough page, where you’ll be able to find our more and share your views.

Doesn’t the extra council tax from new housing in the borough help?

• We aren’t a business and don’t make a profit from more housing being built. New residents pay council tax but they also need services, so our costs go up as well as our income.

Why not make housing developers pay for waste collections instead of changing them?

• We collect between £35,000 and £40,000 from developers for every new home built in the borough, which goes towards new schools, roads, community and leisure centres to meet residents’ needs.
• However, we aren’t allowed to put this towards the ongoing cost of services like waste collection, and it wouldn’t make sense as we need to provide communities with suitable infrastructure.