Controversial booking system opens today for Welshpool 'tip'
Scarcely has a new new initiative from Powys County Council sparked more controversy, with thousands of residents making their opposition known through a petition and a MyWelshpool Facebook poll.
But council leader, Cllr James Gibson-Watt, has stuck by his guns claiming that the silent majority are willing to give it a go, but he expects a full review after six months.
So, today, it’s all systems go and slots can be booked up to nine days in advance. You can follow the online instructions to book a time slot at your chosen Household Recycling Centre. Log onto www.powys.gov.uk/HRC and provide your name, address, email address and the registration number of the vehicle you will be using for the visit. It can also be done over the phone through 01597 827465.
“We appreciate that some people are still not looking forward to the changes at our Household Recycling Centres, but feedback gathered in resident surveys from other councils confirm the systems work well and residents are very happy once it has had time to bed in,” explains Cllr Jackie Charlton, Cabinet Member for a Greener Powys.
“In fact, in a recent survey by a council in North Wales, 81% of residents ranked the new booking system as excellent, and 83% are in favour of keeping it in place.
“Change is always a challenge to begin with. It will soon become second nature to pre-book a time slot in the same way we book appointments for many other things in life, and it will make your visit to the household recycling centre more efficient knowing that you have your own slot to recycle your waste with the help of the staff, if needed.
“There is still confusion around the new arrangements circulating on social media, and we would encourage everyone to check our website for the most up-to-date information and a full set of frequently asked questions (same link above).”
This is why Powys County Council says it is needed:
- reduce congestion and queuing times
- to make visits easier and less time consuming
- to allow staff more time to help visitors who may need advice and/or assistance on site
- improve recycling rates
- reduce non-legitimate use by commercial operators and users from outside the county
Payments
From April 1, you will also need to make a payment to take some DIY waste to the Household Recycling Centres.
The council said that an easy way to understand what is classed as DIY waste is to think about which items or materials you would not take with you if you moved house.
For example, kitchen units, bathroom suites, windows, doors, patios, soil, fence panels, etc - if you would not take it, then it is likely to be DIY waste. They are only be making charges for certain types of DIY waste (see www.powys.gov.uk/HRC for a full list), in particular for materials which incur a cost to process for recycling.
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