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Household waste and recycling centre update We will be returning to a weekly collection service for food, household waste and recycling, alongside the fortnightly garden waste collections for those who have a subscription. After a discussion with our waste contractors, Serco, we have agreed that this change will take place in mid-August, and we will share the specific date when we know more. There are still impacts on the service due to COVID-19 in terms of staffing and the amount of waste and recycling being collected, so we will use the time between now and mid-August to prepare for a smooth change back to weekly collections and to communicate the changes to the service. Thank you for your patience and we will share more information when it is available.

Independents' Day - Saturday 4 July More borough businesses are able to reopen from this weekend. This Saturday is the annual Independents’ Day UK, a national celebration of our fabulous independent retailers.  We all love a bit of diversity on our high streets and it’s our independent stores that give the Royal Borough’s towns and villages a refreshing sense of character and uniqueness.   Thank you to everyone who supported our local businesses as they began to re-open this week. Plan ahead on what to expect with this guide from the Windsor tourism team. See what attractions are open here . So, whether it’s booking that celebration meal that’s been on hold, buying something for the home you’ve not seen anywhere else, sourcing that special post-lockdown bottle from your local wine shop or simply treating yourself to a coffee and slice of something nice from an independent cafe, every purchase makes a difference! Remember, you can park for free for three hours in any council managed car park s if you display your Advantage Card .

Re-opening plans If you’re planning to visit any of the pubs, bars, restaurants or cafes in the borough this weekend, remember that lots will have changed. Please be patient and take note of the following: Pay attention to the measures each business has in place to keep you safe Pubs may close early and nightclubs will not be open Venues will have reduced capacities and you may need to queue Pre-booking, table service, seated drinking and other measures may be in place Check the individual establishment’s website before you visit   See the Windsor.gov.uk website for general information and links to local establishments.

Play areas From tomorrow, Royal Borough play areas will be re-opening. Our contractor, Urbaser, will be carrying out cleaning of all play equipment but you are advised to sanitise your children's hands before and after they use any of the play equipment. Please enjoy responsibly, follow the guidelines in place and keep everyone safe. See all our parks and open spaces here .

Libraries are open from Monday 6 July T he library team is working hard to resume services safely and to give residents access to a full range of library stock from Monday 6 July. Not all services will be available from this date and they will look a little different. The Home Library Service will resume on Monday 6 July. If you are already a housebound customer your library volunteer will make contact with you to agree a safe way to deliver books to you. The Mobile Library Service will resume week commencing 6 July. If you are a regular Mobile Library customer a member of the mobile library team will be in touch with you to discuss your reading requirements. Books will be delivered to your normal stop and you will be able to collect your books from outside the Mobile Library to ensure social distancing. Please wait to hear from the library. A Select and Collect Service from Maidenhead Library will commence on Monday 6 July. Further details will be available on the Libraries page of our website and in our Library e-newsletter from Monday. You will have the opportunity to select items you would like to read and staff will make contact with you when they are ready for collection. Library advisors will endeavour to provide you with your chosen titles or suitable alternatives. You will also have the option to collect bags of picture books or other suitable items for children without having to select individual titles.  Finally, library colleagues are working very hard to set up a Select and Deliver service for residents in the future. You will be able to select your books and then choose from a wide range of times and locations across the Borough to collect your books. As soon as the Select and Deliver service is up and running, we will share more information and instructions on our Library social media channels and on the Libraries page of our website.   If you need help, call the library on 01628 796969 or email [email protected] . Please follow Library social media pages for regular updates on what’s happening: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube

Reminder about M4 closures The M4 will be closed this weekend between Junctions 10 at Wokingham and 8/9 at Maidenhead  (eastbound carriageway only) . This is for resurfacing work and marks the start of the final phase of work in the western section of the smart motorway where construction began two years ago in July 2018.   The closure will start tonight, Friday 3 July from approximately 9pm and the motorway will reopen by 6am on Monday morning 6 July.   The previously notified full closure has been split into two so next weekend, 10-13 July, the M4 will be closed between Junctions 8/9 and 10  (westbound carriageway only)  - again for resurfacing of the carriageway as part of this work.   During these two closures motorway traffic will be diverted to the  A329M, A3290, A4 and the A404M  which is the route agreed with the local authorities.   There are weekend closures (in both directions unless otherwise noted) on a regular basis throughout the year and the schedule for this summer is as follows:   17-20 July 2020: full weekend closure between junctions 6 and 8/9 24-27 July 2020: full weekend closure between junctions 6 and 8/9 31 July-3 August 2020: full weekend closure between junctions 5 and 6 7-10 August 2020: full weekend closure between junctions 5 and 6 14-17 August 2020: full weekend closure between junctions 6 and 8/9 21-24 August 2020: full weekend closure between junctions 6 and 8/9 See the Highways England information page here, where you can sign up for updates by email.

Keep in touch Keep up to date with news and information from the council by following us on  Twitter  and  Facebook . Other accounts you may be interested in: Royal Borough official tourism web page.   Libraries on Facebook and Twitter.