THE two recycling centres used by borough residents are to be closed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Last night, the Government announced new curbs on people’s movements, banning all non-essential travel and urging families to stay at home.
As a result, re3’s sites in Reading and Bracknell have closed their doors to the public and will no longer accept waste, garden refuse and other recyclable materials while the order is in place – at least three weeks.
Kerbside collections are currently unaffected.
The re3 sites are run on behalf of Wokingham Borough Council and its counterparts in Bracknell Forest and Reading Borough.
A statement said: “Following Prime Minister’s announcement on strict restrictions on movement and non-essential gatherings, re3 has taken the decision to close the recycling centres in Bracknell and Reading.
“This decision has not been taken lightly, but we must now all play our part, stay home to save lives and protect the vulnerable, elderly and the NHS.
“re3 will work with its contractor to redeploy staff and maintain effective receipt of waste from collection services and operate as efficiently as possible.
“We will review this decision after the initial three-week period, taking into account the Government advice at the time.
“During this time, we are asking residents to maximise the kerbside collections and hold-on to any inert waste they may have. We are grateful to all residents for their understanding.”