Dorset Council revises recycling centre plans amid financial pressures

Following extensive public feedback, Dorset Council has revised its plans to roll out a booking system at all 10 of its Household Recycling Centres (HRCs).

Instead of launching the system county-wide later this year, the council will now introduce it at four sites: Dorchester, Wimborne, Shaftesbury, and Sherborne.

The remaining six centres (Bridport, Swanage, Weymouth, Portland, Wareham and Blandford) will continue to operate as usual - without slot bookings - while the council looks to strengthen its measures to prevent commercial misuse.

Cllr Jon Andrews, Cabinet Member for Place Services, explained the decision: “We’ve listened to residents and understand their concerns. We still believe a booking system is the best way to protect our recycling centres from future service cuts, but this new approach allows us to prioritise the areas with the most pressing issues.”

The targeted rollout will help:

• Reduce cross-border use in north Dorset, cutting waste disposal costs. Around 20% of the waste received at Shaftesbury and Sherborne comes from outside of the county, which Dorset Council taxpayers are unfairly paying for. When the system is introduced, non-Dorset residents will need to pay an entry fee.
• Ease congestion and queuing at Dorchester and Wimborne. Due to their location and local road network, both sites are prone to queuing at busy times.
• Gather real-world data to assess the system’s impact in areas of Dorset before considering a wider rollout.

The council will closely monitor how the system performs - looking at booking slot availability, customer satisfaction, recycling rates, and any changes in fly-tipping. So far, there’s no evidence to suggest that successful booking systems increase illegal dumping, but the council will track this carefully.

If the system proves as effective as Dorset Council expects, it will help shape the future of how all the HRCs operate, ensuring long-term sustainability without compromising service quality.

Cllr Andrews added: “We’ve heard from many residents who say, ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’ And we get that. But the reality is, the current service is costing more than it should, and some areas do need ‘fixing’ to a certain extent.

“A booking system will save hundreds of thousands of pounds - money that helps us keep all our HRCs open and avoid reducing hours or closing locations.”

All 10 recycling centres will remain available and free of charge for all Dorset Council residents. More information on how to book slots at the four sites will be shared closer to the launch.