'Ward members wanted this to be a failure and it isn't' Tidy tip booking system in Central Beds is working, meeting told
Some councillors wanted a booking system to use tidy tips in Central Bedfordshire “to be a failure, and to their disappointment it isn’t”, a meeting heard.
Residents have been required to book an appointment to visit the area’s four household waste recycling centres since March.
A summary of impacts from the booking system was provided for Central Bedfordshire Council’s sustainable communities overview and scrutiny committee.
As a waste disposal authority, CBC has a duty under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to arrange for residents to deposit their household waste free of charge, according to a report to the committee.
These modern tips open daily to offer recycling, reuse, composting and final disposal options, explained the report.
“Waste that’s diverted to reuse or recycling, rather than treatment by energy from waste incineration or landfill, is better for the environment and cheaper for the local taxpayer.
“Initial findings, covering April to August, suggest:
- on average, 93 per cent of people arrived on site with a booking during this period;
- visitor numbers have reduced by nearly 145,000 compared to 2024/25 figures, which is a 36.5 per cent decrease on average;
- overall tonnage received at the tidy tips has reduced by a quarter;
- recycling performance in August increased to above the 2024/25 levels;
- there’s no evidence to suggest that using a booking system has caused an increase in flytipping incidents;
- and no complaints have been received about the availability of booking slots.
“Staff have more time to help residents reuse or recycle as much as possible, which is better for the environment and cheaper for the local taxpayer.”
Independent Potton councillor Tracey Wye told the committee: “I hope the fears, misinformation and worries about the booking system have been answered.
“It definitely is working,” she said. “We can keep this service for our council taxpayers. Traders are having to book a trade slot. The fear of (increased) fly-tipping hasn’t materialised.
“There’s a difference between reporting fly-tipping and actual tipping, as one incident could be reported five times. Complaints coming into the council have dropped off, although users would prefer a slicker interface on the booking system.
“Ward members wanted this to be a failure and it isn’t, and it’s disappointing for some people. It’s not been the problem people were expecting. That’s what this report shows.”
The Central Bedfordshire Community Network Biggleswade West councillor Hayley Whitaker repeated a request for more statistical information around the booking system, asking: “Where’s the data for black bin waste, green bin waste, flytipping and overall tonnage at tips?
“I visited the tip at the weekend. Yet again nobody asked for my details and the barrier was up. Some visitors to tips use their parents’ address, What checks are made on those vehicle registrations? There are still people using these tip facilities who shouldn’t be.”
Executive member for sustainability and climate resilience councillor Wye replied: “There was a fire in the electrical box at Biggleswade.
“You’ll have been logged by a camera on entry. That anecdote about subverting the system isn’t representative overall.
“This data is complex. Officers share as much as they can. It’s not really a member matter to have every bit of information available.”