People visiting Central Bedfordshire’s Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs,) will soon benefit from a new online booking system designed to make trips quicker, easier and more efficient.
The booking system comes into effect on Wednesday 26 March, meaning residents will need to book a 20-minute time slot at any of the four recycling centres in Ampthill, Biggleswade, Leighton Buzzard and Thorn Turn, Houghton Regis. The new system aims to reduce queues, improve traffic flow, and ensure centres are used exclusively by Central Bedfordshire residents.
Managing visitor numbers will allow staff to offer more on-site recycling advice to help boost recycling rates and support the council’s commitment to a more sustainable Central Bedfordshire.
Booking is quick, simple, and free via the council’s website. Slots can be reserved up to two weeks in advance, with same-day bookings also available to offer maximum flexibility.
Cllr Tracey Wye, Executive Member for Sustainability and Climate Resilience, said:
“The new booking system will ensure that only Central Bedfordshire residents use the sites for free and make sure we are not paying to dispose of waste from people living elsewhere.
“It will make using the recycling centres quicker and easier, preventing queues, or worse, those days where everyone comes at once and they have to start turning people away.
“The council is not only committed to improving recycling, but it also hopes to reduce the amount of waste generated in the first place by encouraging people wherever possible to try to repair items or find a new home for those items that can be reused and repurposed by others.”
Residents disposing of restricted items – such as carpets, mattresses, DIY waste, engine oil, gas bottles, or fire extinguishers – or using certain vehicles will be able to apply and instantly receive (subject to conditions) a waste permit through the council’s new booking system. The new booking system will significantly speed up the process for receiving a waste permit. Full details on waste permits and site guidelines are available on the council’s website.
For more information and to book a slot from 26 March, visit www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/HWRC
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Notes to editors
To make a booking, residents will be asked to provide their name, email address, postal address and vehicle registration. Post codes will be used to confirm Central Bedfordshire residency. Residents will need to register for a Central Bedfordshire Council account.
Should residents miss their time slot they can simply book another one. Subject to the booking slot availability this can be done almost immediately. Bookings can also be cancelled or changed.
All visitors will be required to book a slot before they visit the HWRC / tidy tip. Site staff reserve the right to refuse entry to anyone that attempts to enter the facility without a valid booking.
No booking is required to visit the trade waste site or Reuse Shop at Thorn Turn.
For further information please email communications@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk or call 0300 300 8701.