Council 'dragging its feet' on glass recycling

Wokingham is one of 30 local authorities that still has to set up kerbside glass collections

A council has been accused of "dragging its feet" over introducing kerbside glass recycling collections, despite receiving £2.9m in government funding.

Opposition councillors in Wokingham have expressed frustration over the Liberal Democrats' refusal to commit to the change, which the government requires be introduced from April.

Wokingham's plans were due to be approved at a meeting on 24 July, but Labour opposition councillors claimed the decision was pulled from the agenda.

The council said its financial position meant it could not commit to introducing glass collections.

The Simpler Recycling scheme forces English councils to unify kerbside collections and requires soft plastics such as bread bags to be recycled from April 2027.

The council received £2.9m to support the transition.

At a meeting on 31 July, Katrin Harding, executive member for environment and climate emergency, acknowledged the delay.

She said Wokingham was one of 30 local authorities that still had to set up kerbside collections, and the council's financial position meant the Lib Dems could not commit to this next year.

Thanks to the "fantastic efforts" of residents, the authority's glass recycling rates were higher than the national average, she said.

"There may be things we cannot do that we would have liked to do," she told the meeting.

She added that the council would review all options, including keeping bottle banks.

Speaking after the meeting, Labour's Nagi Nagella said: "The council is dragging its feet over the changes to kerbside collections.

"Other local authorities, including re3 partners Bracknell Forest and Reading, have announced their Simpler Recycling plans, so why can't Wokingham?

"The money is there, the legislation is clear, and residents have waited long enough for a basic service that other councils introduced years ago."