Thousands more people in Reading will be able to recycle plastic film and bags as part of an ongoing trial.

Currently, 4,000 households in Reading have been taking part in a trial of recycling plastic food container wrapping and bags in kerbside collections.

Now an expansion of the trial will allow 6,000 more households in the town to able to recycle their plastic bags and wrapping from home.

Residents are given blue bags to recycle the waste, which are then placed in their red recycling bins on their normal collection day, which is then taken by the re3 waste partnership covering Reading, Wokingham and Bracknell.

Karen Rowland (Labour, Abbey) Reading Borough Council's lead councillor for environmental services said: “It's been really pleasing to see the blue bags flowing through the sorting belts at our re3 Material Recycling Facility, and we are pleased that more residents will benefit from this trial.

READ MORE: Trial for plastic film and wrapping recycling begins for thousands of Reading households 

“The kerbside collection of plastic bags and wrapping has a significant impact in a reduction of what’s left in residents’ grey waste bins, helping us recycle as much waste as possible.”

She also commented that neighbours have asked how they can be part of the trial, but they have turned down as the trial area has to fulfill pre-selected criteria.

The trial has been running in Reading since September last year, with the expansion covering a wider neighbourhood mix across the town. Those not involved in the trial can recycle soft plastics like film and bags at large supermarkets.

Since the trial began in Reading and for 10,000 households in Bracknell in March, 13 tonnes of recyclables have been collected, equivalent to over 3,250 wheelie bins of waste.