Critics of the council’s online-only system argue it leaves some residents behind, particularly those without internet access or digital skills.
So before councillors have that debate, I decided to try the system myself and see how difficult it really is.
The result? Not very. From start to finish, the booking took me two minutes and six seconds.
First, I searched for the Hampshire County Council website and looked for the recycling centre booking service.
This was probably the most awkward part of the process.
I knew I wanted to book a visit to the tip, but I found myself clicking through a section called “waste prevention and recycling” before eventually reaching the booking page.
It’s not impossible to find, but it’s not quite as obvious as I expected either.
I then noticed there was also an app available to download. Out of curiosity I took a look at that too.
It’s optional, but it felt like a much more direct route to the booking section than navigating through the council website.
Once I’d found the booking form, things became much easier.
I was asked to enter my name, postcode and email address before moving on to the next stage.
And that’s where I stumbled across what I think is the biggest issue with the system.
What if you don’t have an email address?
Hampshire County Council has previously said residents without an email address can enter noreply@hants.gov.uk and continue with their booking.
The problem is that this isn’t explained anywhere during the process.
I couldn’t find any mention of it on the booking page, in the council’s app or within the booking form itself.
If we hadn’t previously reported on the issue, I would never have known that option existed.
For someone who doesn’t have an email address, the journey could easily end there.
Thankfully, I do have one, so I carried on.
With my details entered, I moved on to the next stage.
Next came a few simple questions. What sort of vehicle would I be bringing? A car? A van? A trailer? A bike?
What type of waste was I planning to dispose of, and which recycling centre did I want to visit?
Expecting appointments to be limited, I clicked through several sites including Hedge End, Eastleigh, Southampton, Fair Oak, Gosport, Romsey and Winchester.
To my surprise, every one of them appeared to have space available that same day.
Most had appointments available every 30 minutes throughout the day, from 9am until 5.30pm.
If I had wanted to visit a recycling centre there and then, I probably could have.
With a date and time selected, the booking was complete.
A confirmation email landed in my inbox a few minutes later. Job done.
Overall, the process was fairly straightforward.
There was no need to create an account, remember a password or fill in lots of information.
For someone who spends most of the day online, as I do, the few extra clicks needed to find the service were only a minor frustration.
But by the time I reached the end, I could also understand why some residents are unhappy about the move to online-only bookings.
The booking system itself wasn’t the problem. In my experience, it worked perfectly well.
The real question is whether it works just as well for everyone else.
I spend most of my day online. Filling out web forms barely requires any thought. But not everyone is in that position.
If you’ve never had an email address, rarely use a computer or aren’t confident navigating websites, the experience could look very different.
For some people, that might be a minor inconvenience.
For others, it might be enough to stop them booking altogether.
That is the issue councillors will be debating this week.
Liberal Democrat councillors are asking Hampshire County Council to rethink its online-only approach and consider bringing back telephone bookings.
The motion will be debated by the full council on October 1.
Having tried the system myself, I found it quick, simple and surprisingly easy to use.
Whether it is equally accessible for everyone is the question Hampshire’s politicians must now decide.