Bracknell

An independent survey has found that 82 per cent of visitors to the Bracknell Longshot Lane civic amenity site rated it good or very good.

The annual survey is carried out by the re3 waste disposal partnership, which manages the site for Bracknell Forest Council and its partners. The site is currently being redeveloped and operating reduced weekday opening hours.

It also found:

- Garden waste was the most popular form of recycling taken to Longshot Lane (33.2 per cent), followed by cardboard (7.7 per cent).

- The vast majority of respondents (83 per cent) said staff had been helpful.

- 85 per cent of users highly rated the site’s cleanliness.

- The centre improved for queuing in 2008 with 74 per cent of respondents giving a high rating compared to 42 per cent last year.

The overall number of visits to the site were down - which is thought to be linked to the reduced opening hours caused by the redevelopment.

The improvements at Longshot Lane, Bracknell include changing the layout of the site for better access and providing covered bays for residents to unload their vehicles. Recycling facilities will also be improved. It is currently open on weekdays from 5pm to 8pm and weekends and bank holidays from 8am to 8pm.

re3 is a 25-year joint waste contract between Bracknell Forest, Reading and Wokingham Borough Councils and the Waste Recycling Group.

A similar survey took place at the Smallmead household waste recycling centre in Reading.

Staff from MEL Research surveyed 1,100 users at both Longshot Lane and Smallmead. Research was carried out during the week and at weekends.

Smallmead, a modern indoor facility opened by re3 earlier this year, was rated as good or very good by 99 per cent of its users.

Cllr Mrs Dorothy Hayes, Bracknell Forest Council’s Executive Member for the Environment, said: Longshot Lane provides an excellent facility for residents to dispose of items not collected through their kerbside collections and I am delighted they still appreciate the service despite the disruption caused by the redevelopment.

Once the new Longshot Lane Household Waste Recycling Centre is fully open next year, I hope residents will value the modern facilities in Bracknell Forest as much as residents appreciate the Smallmead site in Reading.”

For more details about the redevelopment or to check the latest opening times and any short term closures before leaving for Longshot Lane, visit www.bracknell-forest.gov.uk/env-waste-disposal, www.re3.org.uk or freephone 0800 9883023.

Bracknell Forest Council