Tip booking system to cut queues goes live

A booking system for people wanting to use a household waste recycling tip in York has gone live ahead of its launch next month.

The city council said introducing the system which comes into effect at the Hazel Court waste and recycling site on 2 March would help tackle congestion and manage queues at the tip.

York Council's environment services said businesses would be allowed two slots a day and households four a week.

The booking system is only in place for vehicles, with people coming to drop off waste on foot able to continue visiting without an appointment.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the council's environment and regulatory services director Dave Atkinson said the system aimed to manage queues at the James Street tip, which have become a problem in the last five years.

He added while the tip could handle overall demand, peaks at certain times of the day were leading to people waiting to drive in.

The queues add to congestion in the area around James Street which is also home to a number of shops and businesses, he said.

The system will be trialled for a year and officials will then review the changes.

Jenny Kent, the authority's Labour environment spokesperson, said the new system was a sensible solution though she accepted it would be divisive.

"There has been occasions when queues have caused real problems for the businesses near Hazel Court," she said.

"Some might see this as an inconvenience but it's a compromise that means people have to book online instead of sitting in a queue for 45 minutes."

Bookings can be made online or by phone up to two weeks in advance.

The authority said people would need to bring a booking confirmation with them which would be checked by staff on arrival.

For a short period after the bookings system comes into place, tip staff will decide on a case by case basis whether to allow people to use the facility if they arrive without a booking, it added.

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