Perception vs Reality: HWRC Booking Systems and Fly-Tipping

HWRC Booking Systems and fly-tipping.
HWRC Booking Systems significantly impact waste reduction, helping councils lower waste management costs by controlling the amount of waste brought to their sites.
This is largely due to innovative rules, alerts, and workflows that enable site managers to control usage and restrict or charge out-of-borough residents and traders.
To put this into perspective, West Sussex County Council found that sites with a booking system receive 35% less waste (on average) than those without one.
Similarly, Western Riverside Waste Authority has reported a 760-tonne reduction in waste since implementing bookings.
The perception.
Based on the above, one question we get asked a lot is “where does all that waste go?”
And one of the most common misconceptions we encounter is the belief that implementing a booking system increases fly-tipping.
With this in mind, we’ve collated research from HWRCs across the country to assess the validity of this assumption.
So, let’s get into it ...
The reality.
In a recent study, DEFRA analysed data from 54 local authorities and concluded that there was no evidence of a link between booking systems and fly-tipping.
Interestingly, after an in-depth analysis of a subset of these authorities, researchers found that:
- 32% of councils believed fly-tipping numbers had stayed the same in the last 12 months
- 26% of councils believed fly-tipping had decreased since implementing bookings and
- 27% of councils said that they did not know if fly-tipping had increased or not
You can read the full analysis here.
The LGA also states that they’ve found no evidence proving a connection between HWRC Booking Systems and fly-tipping.
However, they emphasise the importance of a well-designed, purpose-built booking system in delivering a user experience that discourages fly-tipping.
At the council level, Hannah Allard, Insight and Development Manager at Kent County Council, confirms that fly-tipping has not increased in Kent since bookings were implemented.
Instead, Kent attributes its decrease in waste volumes to reduced trade abuse, increased reuse within communities, and greater use of skips.
You can watch Hannah’s keynote on this topic here.
Similarly, Western Riverside Waste Authority, Re3 Waste Partnership, and countless other local authorities report no increase in fly-tipping since introducing booking technology.
In fact, West Sussex County Council has actually seen a decrease in fly-tipping incidents since implementing our GovBook HWRC Booking Service.
Conclusion.
Taking into account all of the above, we can confidently say that the perception that HWRC Booking Systems cause an increase in fly-tipping does not match reality.
Learn more.
Find out more about the benefits of a HWRC Booking System here.