Towns set for 'flexible plastic' recycling scheme

According to a report by DEFRA, British households create more than 26 million tonnes of waste each year, the weight of around 260 large cruise ships

Recycling for plastic bags and wrappers could be coming to thousands of homes as part of a £200,000 trial.

Homes in Reading, with Bracknell and Wokingham to follow, will soon be allowed to recycle "flexible plastics" as early as 10 July, according to the council.

People will be able to recycle previously unrecycled materials including sweet wrappers, bubble wrap, and cling film.

The scheme may expand to cover 20,000 more homes across the area if it is a success.

Councillors from Reading, Bracknell Forest and Wokingham Borough councils are expected to vote on whether to approve the scheme on 15 June.

The three councils jointly run a waste disposal scheme, known as re3, covering all three boroughs.

The new recycling scheme is part of a national research trial run by the FlexCollect project, a £2.9m pilot that recycles flexible plastic packaging across the UK, and supported by the government.

Organisers chose re3 to be part of the trial because of Reading’s urban nature.

Although Reading was chosen to take part in a national trial, the government has indicated that it could be made mandatory for councils to recycle plastic bags and wrappers from 2027.

Items will go in blue, single-use bags sent out by Reading council and thrown out with the rest of the recycling.

Rubbish collectors will then separate the blue recycling bags and send them off to a national processing centre.

Despite the expansion, plastic straws and cutlery, pill packs, disposable face masks, and foam or polystyrene won’t be included in the scheme.

The project will also come with £200,000 worth of funding to cover the costs of implementing the scheme.

However, Re3 is not currently prepared to process flexible plastics itself. It says converting its recycling plants could cost “upwards of £2 million.”

Reports say officers have been assured that FlexCollect will not profit or gain a commercial advantage over competitors through running the trial research.