Padworth's waste and recycling centre officially opened

The event saw the former leader of West Berkshire Council, Geoff Findlay and the executive councillor for Environmental Protection, Hilary Cole, (Con Chieveley), unveil a commemorative plaque, together with Estelle Brachlianoff, the Chief Executive Officer of Veolia Environmental Services.
After a welcoming address by chairman of West Berkshire Council, Adrian Edwards, guests were given a tour of the facility, which Veolia started operating in October, a key feature of which is a composting facility, for the fast processing of garden and food waste into high-quality compost, utilising food waste collected in a kitchen caddy provided by the council to West Berkshire households.
Other features include Magpie technology which automatically separates different types of plastic bottles, while situated next to the composting facility is a public recycling centre where households can bring more than 20 different types of material for recycling including soil and rubble, cardboard, drinks cartons, garden waste, and wood as well as used electrical goods such as fridges, freezers, kettles, toasters, and hairdryers.
This has helped recycling rates in West Berkshire to reach 46 per cent of all waste collected and 78 per cent of waste collected being diverted from landfill.
A state-of-the-art education centre also opened in July at the site, offering community groups of all ages an interactive, first-hand look at the world of waste, recycling and waste minimisation.
Councillor Hilary Cole said: "The Centre at Padworth is crucial to the district's recycling programme and I'm delighted that it is proving such a success. Today was a fitting reminder of its importance to all households in the district who are doing so much to help recycling."