About re3

Bracknell Forest, Reading and Wokingham Borough Councils agreed in 1999 to work together to develop long-term facilities for managing and disposing of the area´s waste. They formed a partnership called re3.

Their current objectives and plans are set out in the re3 Joint Municipal Waste Management Strategy, which was signed in 2008.

Waste Recycling Group joined the partnership in 2006.  They signed a Private Finance Initiative contract with the councils, worth £610million, to provide new waste management facilities and work with them to minimise waste.

The partnership received a PFI grant from the Government of £37m. As this is paid as an annual grant over the 25 years, this equates to £74m by the end of the contract term.

Targets

re3 will help the three councils to meet or exceed Government targets for waste reduction and recycling including

• reducing the amount of waste in the three boroughs which is sent to landfill by 75% of the 1995 levels by 2010
• recycling or composting 40% of household waste by 2010
• obtaining value from 45% of the waste collected which is not recycled or composted, (for example by turning it into electricity) by 2010.

By the end of the PFI contract in 2021 the re3 partnership expects to recycle or compost more than 50% of its waste and obtain value from 74% of it.

Council services  

re3 does not replace the three council´s existing kerbside refuse collection and recycling services and residents should continue to use these.  Residents can also use the two new re3 Household Waste Recycling Centres in Reading and Bracknell to recycle and dispose of many other different types of household waste.