A controversial £1.5 million plan to buy wheelie bins for every home in Wokingham is underway, as the council has begun appealing for bids from providers.

Wokingham Borough Council’s leading executive committee agreed a plan in March to switch to wheelie bins for general waste rather than blue plastic bags.

The plan attracted criticism from Conservative opposition councillors, who argue that the bins aren’t suitable for every address in the borough.

And Wokingham resident Colin George had claimed that the council is funding the change from a pot of money it’s not allowed to access – a charge the council strongly denies.

The council’s leading Liberal Democrat group says the plan will save money, and that government plans to dictate what waste councils will be required to collect mean the changes will be necessary.

Now, its executive committee – its leading body of councillors – has voted to begin the process of buying the bins.

They decided at a meeting on Thursday, 29 June, to launch an open competitive tendering process, where companies are encouraged to offer to sell the council bins at the lowest price.

A council document submitted to the meeting said this would could potentially save the council money. The council expects the changes could cost some £1.5 million.

On the other hand, it said that delaying the buy could cost as much as £70,000 extra as the cost of plastic continues to rise, and as the expected government changes could soon lead to a rise in demand for bins by other councils.

READ MORE: Wokingham bin collection injuries revealed in new figures

Ian Shenton, the councillor responsible for bins, told the meeting: “At the moment not many councils are ordering wheelie bins right now.

“They could well be in the not too distant future when the government decides how may waste streams it wants councils to collect from the kerbside.”

The decision comes after Bracknell News revealed that most injuries to waste collection workers in Wokingham occurred while handling blue waste bags.

The council document said: “From a safety perspective, wheeled bins will reduce the instances of strikes and cuts to the collection operatives.”

It added: “In 2022 an operative was taken to hospital following a deep laceration to the lower leg caused by a broken vase. Although the operative was wearing the correct PPE, the glass penetrated the operative’s leg so deeply that he required eleven stitches and four days off work.”

The document also says that sticking with blue waste bags increases litter as animals tear them open when they are left on the street for collection.

The wheelie bins are expected to be delivered to homes across Wokingham Borough in summer 2024.