IT’S A load of rubbish, it’s spilling out onto the streets, and it’s out of control.
Waste from shops, businesses and homes on east Reading’s Wokingham Road is overflowing, and causing chaos according to the Green Party. Now they want the council take action.
In recent weeks, a mountain of waste has been piling up on the busy shopping parade as bins are overflowing.
There are various industrial-sized bins for general waste and recycling. With several food stores on the street selling fresh fruit and vegetables, meat and world foods, as well as a range of takeaways and restaurants, a lot of rubbish and recycling is generated every day.
But it’s not being collected enough.
Just before Christmas, Reading Green Party campaigner Sarah Magon launched a petition calling on Reading Borough Council to do something about the area’s very own mountain of misery.
“At the Wokingham Road shopping area opposite Alfred Sutton primary school, waste is out of control,” she said.
“Often trade waste bins are overflowing and spill out onto the road and pavement.
“The council’s bag collection system isn’t working well so waste from the flats above the shops piles up around the bins.
“Despite the new bollards, the area around the pedestrian crossing opposite Crescent Road is chaotic.
“We are asking the council to do more and work with us, local businesses and residents to tackle these issues. Please sign the petition if this issue matters to you.”
A spokesperson for Biffa, one of the firms that collects commercial waste from shops on Wokingham Road, said: “The festive period always sees a big increase in waste and recycling, and our collections teams are working hard across Reading to keep the streets clean and tidy.
“Our business customers’ bins at the location in question have all been serviced and emptied on time. Unfortunately, some extra rubbish was dumped next to the bins, which was cleared on Tuesday.
“We are working closely with Reading Borough Council to find a longer-term solution to the issue of fly-tipping at this location.”
It is not the first time that the issue has been raised. In October, Cllr White highlighted a similar problem, while in 2020 missed collections by waste firm Biffa meant that another waste mountain piled high on the streets.
In both cases, the council warned people not to leave waste next to overflowing bins, as it would be treated as fly-tipping.
A spokesperson for Reading Borough Council said its Recycling & Waste Services are aware of the issues highlighted in the Wokingham Road area, and would use enforcement activities if necessary.
“The Council has recently reviewed trade and domestic waste arrangements within its own immediate control within the town, and has seen improvement as a result of this work,” the said.
“As in other locations across the Borough, there are issues that emerge occasionally relating to other commercial bin collections.
“As part of our on-going work, our Enforcement Officers will be visiting commercial properties on the Wokingham Road to ensure that they have appropriate arrangements in place for the disposal of their waste.
“Where warranted, we will encourage those businesses with issues to alter or increase their collection services with those providers to ensure an improvement on the local environmental scene.
“Enforcement activity will be appropriately undertaken to address any identified failure to comply with legislation.
“This intervention will over time act to address the issues experienced on Wokingham Road, and will be applied to other areas of the borough that experience similar issues.”
The petition can be signed at: www.bit.ly/wokyrubbish
