READING Borough Council is more than doubling the amount of households taking part in its trial aimed at tackling rubbish and promoting recycling.
The council is currently running a pilot scheme which sees 4,000 homes taking part in the Flexible Plastic Fund (FPF) FlexCollect initiative.
Flexible plastics are collected on on the doorstep through the programme, and now the council is raising the number of households taking part to 10,000.
These usually have to be recycled in places such as supermarkets or specific recycling outlets.
More than 13 tonnes of plastic collected since it began back in September last year– equivalent to more than 3,250 wheelie bins’ worth– statistics from recycling company re3’s figures.
This helps reduce the carbon footprint of the town through the reduction of plastics sent to landfill and instead being sent to recycling facilities around the UK.
Residents on trial routes are provided with recycling bags and a pick-up schedule, when the bags will be collected as part of their regular collection day.
Packaging such as plastic bags and wrappers, crisp packets, foil-lined packaging, and bubble wrap are among the items currently being recycled on the scheme.
The trial is funded from the FPF programme and the government, seeking to understand how kerbside collection of plastic recycling can be integrated into other waste collection on a large scale.
The next phase will help stakeholders to gauge how much infrastructure is required to allow all local authorities to offer the service.
Karen Rowland, Reading Borough Council’s Lead Councillor for Environmental Services and Community Safety, said: “It’s been really pleasing to see the blue bags flowing through the sorting belts at our re3 Material Recycling Facility, and we are pleased that more residents will benefit from this trial.
“It’s been extremely popular too, and I’ve had residents asking me how they can join in the trial.
“Sadly, I’ve had to disappoint a few as the streets selected needed to fit a limited, pre-selected criteria for the study.”
She explained: “The kerbside collection of plastic bags and wrapping has a significant impact in a reduction of what’s left in residents’ grey waste bins, helping us recycle as much waste as possible.
“This trial will help us assess the feasibility of a full roll out ahead of anticipated legislative changes to compulsory collection of plastic bags and wrapping, currently advised for spring 2027.
“Meanwhile it’s good to know that, for those eager to recycle more, most of the larger supermarkets will take soft film and plastic wrap for recycling”.
More information about the scheme is available via: reading.gov.uk/waste-and-recycling
