MORE than 180,000 recycling permits are being posted to homes across Bracknell, Reading and Wokingham as the three council tighten the rules on waste disposal.

A total of 23,000 visitor passes a day will be sent out until the end of the month for residents from the three towns to use when dumping rubbish at the re3 sites in Longshot Lane, Bracknell and Smallmead in Island Road, Reading.

From July 1, only re3 residents will be eligible to use the two recycling centres.

The change has been made following West Berkshire Council giving notes that it intends to stop an annual payment of £500,000 for waste delivered to re3 recycling centres by West Berkshire residents.

A Bracknell, Wokingham and Reading councils decided it was unfair to expect re3 area council tax payers to fund waste management services for residents living in other local authorities. 

Every household in Bracknell Forest, Reading and Wokingham - a total of 182,000 - is being issued with one vinyl permit per household, that can be used by more than one car in the same house. 

Residents are asked to display their permits in their car windscreens to get into the two recycling centre and are not allowed to be loaned to residents from other council areas.

Bracknell Forest’s Executive Member for Environment and Chairman of the Joint Waste Disposal Board, Cllr Mrs Dorothy Hayes MBE said: “We are implementing these changes to ensure fairness for re3 area residents both in terms of their access to the two recycling centres in Bracknell and Reading and not paying for the disposal of the waste from other areas via their council tax.

"We are continually working to provide the most efficient, cost effective waste management service possible for re3 area council tax payers."

The total cost in the first year to make the changes to the recycling centres - including staff, site changes and permit distribution - is estimated at £340,000 and savings to re3 residents are estimated at £835,000 as they include savings in the quantity of waste being processed from a drop in visitors from not only West Berkshire, but from South Oxfordshire and the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead.