Oxfordshire County Council introduced a booking system at all waste centres across the county in January.
Anyone visiting a household waste recycling centre must book a slot online before taking their rubbish and show proof of address when they arrive.
Bookings are available up to two weeks in advance or 30 minutes prior, subject to availability.
To book a slot, visitors have to enter their own details, choose the centre they will be attending, enter the type of waste they’re taking and choose a date and time.
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Councillor Lee Evans (Image: Lee Evans)
Councillor Lee Evans, the councillor for Kingston & Stanford, said in a statement on Facebook: “Next week, alongside Councillor Sally I’ll be proposing a motion at the Vale of White Horse District Council about the new rules for using tips, or Household Waste Recycling Centres.”
Cllr Evans, who voted against the change, said: “Since the new rules were introduced in January, many residents have contacted me with concerns that the system is too complicated, too restrictive, and may create particular difficulties for elderly residents and those who are offline.
“There are also concerns that the changes could lead to more fly tipping and/or more waste going into black bins, both of which have knock-on effects for the district council.”
However, in a recent study, DEFRA, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, analysed data from 54 local authorities and concluded that there was no evidence of a link between booking systems and fly-tipping.
Most residents in Oxfordshire agreed the scheme is easier and more arranged, but argued the costs for elderly and disabled people outweighed the benefits.
One resident said: “Okay, let’s make people book, not everyone is computer literate so no access to the Internet so can’t use the tip, options smash it up and but into refuge bins or litter bins or fly tip.”
Another said: “I think it’s made it very difficult for seniors to use. This world is forgetting to look after our elderly who might struggle with technology.”
Another said: “However I am concerned about access to the booking system, not everyone is computer literate, or wants to use online platforms for various reasons.”
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Kidlington Waste dump (Image: Ed Nix)
A spokesperson for Oxfordshire County Council said: “Fly-tipping has been closely monitored with district councils.
“To date there has not been an observed increase fly-tipping attributable to the updated HWRC services, nor any new trends emerging more generally since these changes were introduced.
“Furthermore, it is clear the public are planning better by bringing more waste on each visit and separating out more material for recycling.
“This is reducing volumes of waste sent for incineration or to landfill which is a worse option environmentally, as well as being more costly to the taxpayer.”
The council have said the benefits to the booking system include better flow management, better flow of customers, better availability of information, and the prevention of trade waste.