A revolution in how residents in Reading recycle is set to come to thousands of households next week.

Neighbours in Reading have long been able to recycle items such as cardboard, tin cans, drink bottles and more using red recycling bins.

More recently, food waste collections have been introduced to the town as well.

For the first time, thousands of neighbours will be able to recycle bags and plastic film, which is often used for ready-meal containers in a trial that begins this month.

The trial is being introduced to more than 4,000 households in Reading Borough on Monday, September 18.

To recycle plastic bags and wrappings, residents will need to place all items inside specially provided blue bags, securely tie them with a double knot, and deposit them within their existing recycling bin.

Those involved in the trial will receive the blue bags and information on how to take part.

READ MORE: Reading plastic wrapper recycling collections to go ahead

The plastic bag and film recycling will be handled by re3, the recycling company in charge of waste in Reading Borough, Wokingham Borough and Bracknell Forest.

Karen Rowland (Labour, Abbey) Reading Borough Council’s lead councillor for environmental services and community safety said: “There is no doubt that we are very excited to be a part of this trial and invite all selected households to participate and follow the provided instructions.

“Plastic bags and wrapping pose a significant challenge to the industry, as they accounted for 22 per cent of all UK consumer plastic packaging in 2020, but only eight per cent of what is recycled.

“Currently, the only way for residents to recycle plastic bags and wrapping is at supermarket front-of-store collection points.

“This trial will help us understand how we can ultimately recycle the maximum amounts of plastic bags and wrapping by ensuring we develop the best methods of collection for all our residents.

“Additionally, it will enable us to gather valuable insights about the volume and composition of these materials.

“In Reading, this initiative is another step towards achieving our net-zero ambitions as set out within the Council’s Climate Emergency declaration.”

READ MORE: Concerns raised as people can't get hold of food waste bags in Reading

Cllr Rowland is also the chairwoman of the Joint Waste Disposal Board, which is hosted at Bracknell Forest Council.

The trial is set to last two years with a planned expansion to addresses in Bracknell Forest and Wokingham Borough next year, which will ultimately involve up to 20,000 households.

If successful, plastic bag and film recycling will be introduced to all households in all three areas at a later date.

The trial is part of a larger £2.9m Flexible Plastic Fund ‘FlexCollect’ project, which involves nine councils across England, and aims to inform the government and industry on how plastic bags and wrapping should be added to existing household collection services.

The prospect of these plastics being recycled was teased by Jason Brock (Labour, Southcote), the leader of Reading Borough Council in an interview with the Local Democracy Reporting Service following the May elections.