Wokingham Borough residents, are you making the most of your waste? Whether you’ve been recycling right for decades or you’re yet to discover what can go in your recycling bags – there’s certainly something new for you to explore and learn in this blog. We’ll be showing you ways to make the most of your waste, how to reduce it and what events you can get involved with to make Wokingham Borough a greener space. Get stuck in and be sure to spread the word. Give us your opinions in the comments section and share any other details you think readers need to know!
Recycling soft plastics
Plastic is one of the most difficult materials to understand when it comes to recycling. Sadly, not all plastics are the same. This means not all plastics can be recycled. This may contradict your thinking already but don’t worry, there’s always somewhere for your plastics to go. No need to chuck them in your blue bin bags just yet!
Plastic films from your meat trays, plastic sachets from pasta sauces, and bread bags – these are your soft plastics. Also known as plastic bags and wrapping. As a rule, soft plastics are scrunchable in your hand. These plastics make up 25% of the plastic used in the UK but only 6% is recycled. It’s time to change that.
So, where can you recycle soft plastics? The good news is that the majority of supermarkets will recycle your soft plastics. Tesco Superstore Wokingham, Coop Arborfield, and Waitrose Twyford, these are just a few of the places you can recycle your soft plastics.
Getting involved in your community
If there’s one way to reduce your impact on the environment, it’s to get involved in what’s already out there. In Wokingham Borough alone there are plenty of opportunities. Our favourite is the Adopt A Street scheme from the council. We’ve previously discussed on this blog the terrible results of litter. By looking after a small street (which will roughly use 30 minutes of your time each week) you can make a huge difference to your local environment. Sign up here and you’ll be provided with a litter picker, high-vis jacket and special ‘adopt a street’ bin bags. You then put them out with your usual collection.
Another way to reduce Wokingham Borough waste is to make use of all the events going on. In Spencers Wood you’ll find a repair café being hosted in the village hall. You can find their diary of what’s going on here, but the next dates for your diary are as follows:
- Sunday 15th May 2-6pm – Repair and CommuniTea Café
- Saturday 9th July 9am-1pm – Repair Café
Keep an eye on the calendar online as events can be added. If Spencers Wood is too far from you, check your local village hall to see if there are any repair events you can get involved in. There’s no need to throw out last year’s summer shorts just yet, you may be able to mend that zip!
Using Wokingham Borough zero waste stores
The waste hierarchy is certainly the most useful way to minimise your impact. Transforming your recycling actions into reuse actions, then pushing even further up to ‘reduce’ status. The easiest way to reach the top tier and reduce your waste is to avoid consuming it in the first place. Of course, you could buy some nuts in a tin and reuse the tin to store pins for the kid’s artwork. Alternatively, you could head to a zero waste store, bring your own tin and fill it with nuts. Completely reducing and removing waste from the process. Your zero waste shops are your best friends when it comes to rethinking waste in Wokingham. Take a little look at where yours are and if you’re unsure, Maya’s Refillables in Wokingham is a good place to start.
Aside from getting involved in the community, finding new eco-stores to shop in and using recycling facilities nearby, there are other ways to rethink your waste. You could find a local community garden and start growing your own fruit and vegetables to reduce any carbon emissions or packaging related to them. You might even find a local Facebook group where there’s a swap shop being advertised (no money involved, just swap something you don’t need for something you do). Rethink your waste in Wokingham this month and let us know the steps you take to make a difference.
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