REQUIRING residents to book slots to dispose of waste at tips and recycling centres will “only cause a huge rise in flytipping across south Essex”, it is feared.

From March 13 residents visiting Essex County Council recycling centres will need to book in advance – including tips in Pitsea and Rayleigh.

A booking system will be trialled for all vehicles visiting the centres to help manage waiting times, reduce congestion, and improve the customer experience.

Kerry Smith, Independent councillor for Nethermayne, said: “It’s going to turn Basildon into flytipping city, what about people who are doing a house clearance or DIY?

“I think it will put people off disposing of their waste in the right way and I can see people thinking its being made harder for them to do this.

“We will see an explosion in flytipping and these plans should be scrapped. I think most people will be thinking the same as me.

“This is making it as hard as possible for people to use these sites and dispose of their waste in the right way. I was not surprised when I heard about it but we will see so much extra flytipping.

“We could also see queues of people waiting at the tips. We should be making it as easy as possible for people to get rid of their waste. It’s such a bad idea.”

The booking process has already been trialled for all vehicles using Rayleigh Recycling Centre, and also for large vehicles using the nine vanfriendly sites.

The county council says both trials have been effective in smoothing the pattern of demand across operating hours and reducing queues and congestion both in and around the sites.

Steven Cole, People’s Independent Party councillor for St George’s ward on Canvey, said: “It is short sighted stupidity from the county council.

“At the recycling centre on Canvey we will see queues and it will affect our bin collection lorries as the two sites are nearby each other.

“Residents are raising concerns about it and I can see it all just falling apart. I think it’s stupid and we are already seeing flytipping.

“I think flytipping is going to go through the roof, it’s ludicrous. We have an older popular in Castle Point who cannot use the internet or technology to book appointments, so they will want to speak to someone over the phone about it.”

A spokesperson for Essex County Council said: “We do not expect flytipping to increase as a direct result of the booking system being introduced.

“Last year, DEFRA carried out research on the matter, and there has not been any evidence to suggest introducing bookings at recycling centres leads to an increase in flytipping.

“There is never any justification for flytipping, it is a criminal offence that can result in prosecution.“This is a pilot, lasting for nine months from March 2023, and it will be frequently reviewed to ensure it is working efficiently, whilst amendments can be made if necessary.”