The county council introduced changes to how households can use the household recycling centres across the county in January this year.

New rules include all visitors having to book a slot online before attending, bringing a proof of address, such as a driving licence or recent household bill, and a charge of £15 per visit introduced for anyone who doesn’t live in the county.

READ MORE: Oxford manhunt after woman sexually assaulted in hospital car park

The new measures, which apply at all seven waste centres in the county, proved controversial, with many voicing concerns that adding rules to the system for legitimate waste disposal would increase instances of fly-tipping in Oxfordshire.

New rules were introduced for Oxfordshire’s household waste recycling centres in January] (Image: David Fleming)

Conservative County Councillor for Kingston and Stanford, Lee Evans, has written a motion to scrap all of the new rules and their ‘bureaucratic burdens’.

He will propose a motion at Oxfordshire County Council‘s full cabinet meeting next Tuesday, March 24, which will say: “For eleven consecutive years, under varying political leaderships, Oxfordshire County Council was named the top performing county council waste disposal authority.

“The 2025 Satisfaction Ratings of Services survey showed 72 per cent of residents were satisfied with the way household waste recycling centres operated, with only 16 per cent dissatisfied.

“The hard-work of employees who operate our centres, alongside the conscientiousness of Oxfordshire residents, made the operation of centres a success story in our county.

READ MORE: Kia driver has car seized by police in Witney, Oxfordshire

Councillor Lee Evans will propose the motion to scrap the waste centre rules (Image: Councillor Lee Evans)

“In spite of this positive record, this council administration has implemented a series of changes, including a mandatory booking system and the need to bring proof of address with you when using a centre.

“This council acknowledges that the new rules for using waste and recycling centres place additional bureaucratic burdens on residents, making it harder for them to use local centres.

“The implementation of these rules, we believe, has reduced the number of visits to the centres, with more waste likely to be redirected into district and city council waste collections or, in some cases, fly-tipped.

“These rules are, therefore, a threat to the high rates of recycling previously seen in our county and risk undermining public satisfaction with waste and recycling services.

The motion to scrap waste centre rules will be decided at the full council meeting next Tuesday (Image: Oxfordshire County Council)

“Therefore, this council resolves to request the cabinet to reconsider the issue of rules for using the household waste and recycling centres; revoke these new and unnecessary burdens on local residents; and return to the popular and successful model previously operated.”

If passed by majority, the motion would be referred to the cabinet together with any advice the council wants to give.

READ MORE: Witney man ‘barricaded in home before trying to set fire’

Councillor Liam Walker has voiced support for the motion (Image: Liam Walker)

Several other councillors have already publicly voiced their support for the motion, including Conservative Councillor Liam Walker, for Hanborough and Minster Lovell and Councillor Thomas Ashby for Witney West and Ducklington.

Mr Walker said: “We should be making it easier, not harder, for residents to dispose of waste responsibly.

“That’s why I’m supporting calls to reconsider these changes and return to the simple system that worked well and no one complained about.”