Your kerbside recycling collections are expanding

West Berkshire Council is pleased to announce that from 27 January 2025, your kerbside collections are expanding - making it easier to recycle certain pots, tubs, and trays.

In response to our public consultation on our Draft Waste Management Strategy, we are working in partnership with Veolia, our waste management partner, to introduce this service well ahead of the Government's deadline of 31 March 2026.

The new kerbside collection will make it much easier for residents to send their plastic waste to recycling and recovery. Alongside plastic bottles, cans and aerosols, residents can now add certain clean plastic pots, tubs, and trays to their recycling bags for collection. This includes items such as clear yoghurt pots, spread tubs, most ready meal trays, and clear fruit punnets. Residents with communal bins, will also be able to dispose of these items in the red-topped wheelie bin.

Accepted Items:

• Cream pots (without film lids)
• Clear yoghurt pots (without film lids)
• Spread/margarine tubs
• Biscuit tray packaging
• Takeaway tubs and ready meal trays (without film lids)
• Clear fruit trays (without film lids)
• Clean meat trays (without film lids)

We cannot accept:

• Black plastic trays
• Plastic film - such as bread bags and tray coverings
• Crisp packets
• Plastic wrapping
• Foil lids and trays
• Flowerpots
• Hot beverage pods (please take these to your nearest Household Waste Recycling Centre)
• Tetra Paks/cartons (these can be recycled at our mini recycling centres and Household waste recycling centres)
• Blister packs/pill packets

If the plastic tray or tub still has food waste on it, or it still has a plastic film or metal covering, it can cause a problem as it goes through the recycling process. This makes it unsuitable for reprocessing meaning that it won't be recycled. We politely ask residents to rinse items and remove any film or cardboard sleeves before placing them in the recycling bags. Cardboard sleeves can be placed in the paper/cardboard box. To make more space in your recycling bag, items such as plastic bottles can be squashed to expel air before placing them in your bag.

If, after following the above, you still need an additional bag to present your plastic bottles, pots, tubs, trays, food and drink cans, and aerosols for collection, you can order one here: www.westberks.gov.uk/requestabin.

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

"There's a strong demand from our residents for greater recycling options, and we're proud to deliver this service before the Government's Simpler Recycling target of 31 March 2026 in partnership with Veolia and continuing to improve your recycling service across West Berkshire. 

"We hope residents will take this opportunity to use the new service and reduce the amount of waste going into black bins freeing up space. Just a quick rinse of these items ensures they're ready for collection and more waste is put in its place."

David Matthews, General Manager at Veolia West Berkshire, said:

"We're delighted to be able to expand kerbside collections for local residents with the addition of certain pots, tubs and trays ahead of the Simpler Recycling legislation coming into effect. 

"Recyclable materials collected from homes across West Berkshire are sorted at our Padworth Integrated Waste Management Facility before being sent for recycling and recovery. By recycling more household packaging, residents are supporting carbon reduction and resource regeneration, helping to create a more sustainable future for everyone."

Following the successful introduction of kerbside battery recycling, paint reuse, and expanding small electrical collection points at mini recycling centres, we are proud to now add certain plastic pots, tubs and trays into household collections. You said, we listened. 

This new service marks a significant step toward our goal of reducing waste and enhancing recycling for West Berkshire, made possible through the collaboration with Veolia and following feedback from our community. Thank you for helping us make West Berkshire cleaner and greener. We continue to plan to introduce the collection of cartons and foil by 31 March 2026 and plastic film in 2027. 

For more information please visit: https://www.westberks.gov.uk/recyclingcollection.