3. HWRC Digital Booking System Call In Report (combined)

North Ayrshire Council · 31 October 2024
Back to Audit and Scrutiny Committee — 31 October 2024 and its agenda

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NORTH AYRSHIRE COUNCIL
31 October 2024
Audit and Scrutiny Committee
Title: Call In: Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC) Digital
Booking System
Purpose: To allow the Committee to consider two call-in requests in
respect of the decision taken by Cabinet at its meeting on 1
October 2024 to approve the proposal to procure and implement
a digital booking system within all Household Waste Recycling
Centres (HWRCs) on the mainland and the Isle of Arran.
Recommendation: That the Committee considers the terms of the call-in requests
set out at Appendices 1A and 1B and agrees, or otherwise, to
make a recommendation to the Cabinet.
1. Executive Summary
1.1 In terms of the Scheme of Administration (Section 5), the Audit and Scrutiny Committee
has a remit to consider call-in requests and invite at least one of the Members who has
requested the reference to call-in to attend the Committee to explain the request.
1.2 This report sets out the background to two call-in requests in respect of the decision
taken by Cabinet at its meeting on 1 October 2024 in relation to the report on
Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC) Digital Booking System.
2. Background
2.1 The Cabinet, at its meeting on 1 October 2024, considered a report by the Head of
Neighbourhood Services seeking approval to implement a digital Household Waste
Recycling Centre (HWRC) booking system at all sites.
2.2 Two call-in requests have been received in terms of the call-in procedure set out in the
Council's Scheme of Administration and Standing Orders, that the Audit and Scrutiny
Committee examine the decision taken by the Cabinet. These are presented (in the
order received) at Appendices 1A and 1B:
Appendix 1A – Call-in request signed by Councillors Stalker, S. Ferguson and T.
Ferguson
Appendix 1B – Call-in request signed by Councillors McDonald, Currie and Cullinane

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The desired outcome of both call-in requests is that the proposal to implement and
procure a digital booking system at all Household Waste Recycling Centres on the
mainland and on the Isle of Arran does not proceed.
2.3 A copy of the original report presented to Cabinet on 1 October 2024 is attached as
Appendix 2 to the report. A briefing note has been provided by the Head of Service
(Neighbourhood Services) and is attached at Appendix 3.
2.5 Both call-in requests are valid for consideration by the Committee. The requests were
received within the appropriate timescale, signed by three Elected Members
respectively and, in both cases, details were provided on both the reason for the call-
in and the desired outcome.
2.6 The Elected Members who have submitted the call-in will be invited to address the
Committee to explain the respective call-in requests. The appropriate Cabinet
Member, will then be invited to clarify the reasons for the decision. The relevant senior
officer will also be present to provide information on the report presented to Cabinet
and on issues raised by the call-ins received. The Committee will have an opportunity
to ask questions of both parties and of those officers in attendance.
2.7 The Committee will then debate the call-in requests and decide whether or not it
agrees with the decision of the Cabinet.
2.8 The Audit and Scrutiny Committee therefore has to:-
i) decide if it agrees or not with the decision of the Cabinet; and
ii) consider what alternative action the Committee would recommend to the
Cabinet if it does not agree with the decision.
2.9 If the Audit and Scrutiny Committee does not agree with the Cabinet decision and
recommends alternative action to Cabinet, the Chairperson or another member of the
Audit and Scrutiny Committee will have the right to attend the Cabinet and speak in
support of any recommendation.
2.10 In the event the Cabinet declines to accept the recommendation from the Audit and
Scrutiny Committee, the matter will be referred to Council for determination. The
decision of the Council will be final.
3. Proposals
3.1 It is proposed that the Committee considers the call-in request set out at Appendices
1A and 1B.
4. Implications/Socio-economic Duty
Financial
4.1 The financial implications are outlined in the Household Waste Recycling Centre
(HWRC) Digital Booking System report attached at Appendix 2.

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Human Resources 
4.2 The human resource implications are outlined in the Household Waste Recycling
Centre (HWRC) Digital Booking System report attached at Appendix 2. 
Legal 
4.3 The legal implications are outlined are outlined in the Household Waste Recycling
Centre (HWRC) Digital Booking System report attached at Appendix 2. 
Equality/Socio-economic 
4.4 The equality/social-economic implications are outlined in the Household Waste
Recycling Centre (HWRC) Digital Booking System report attached at Appendix 2. 
Climate Change and Carbon 
4.5 The climate change and carbon implications are outlined in the Household Waste
Recycling Centre (HWRC) Digital Booking System report attached at Appendix 2. 
Key Priorities 
4.6 The key priorities are outlined in the are outlined in the Household Waste Recycling
Centre (HWRC) Digital Booking System report attached at Appendix 2. 
Community Wealth Building 
4.7 The community wealth building implications are outlined in the Household Waste
Recycling Centre (HWRC) Digital Booking System report attached at Appendix 2. 
5. Consultation 
5.1 No formal consultation has been undertaken at this stage. 
Craig Hatton
Chief Executive 
For further information please contact Craig Stewart, Committee Services Officer, on 
01294 324130 
Background Papers 
N/A

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Appendix 1A 
Call In Request by Councillors Stalker, S. Ferguson and T. Ferguson 
Reason for Call In 
“1. The process of the booking system did not include a consultation or public
engagement period 
2. It is not required as the HRWC sites are not busy, this does not require a
booking system to be implemented 
3. It will lead to an increase in fly-tipping as many people will not use the system
and in so will dump rubbish in public areas”. 
Desired Outcome 
Not to proceed with the proposal to procure and implement a digital booking system
within all Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) on the mainland and the
Isle of Arran.

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Appendix 1B 
Call In Request by Councillors McDonald, Currie and Cullinane 
Reason for Call In 
“the current system isn’t broken. Changing to a digital booking system could
result in an increase in fly-tipping and impact our waste performance”. 
Desired Outcome 
Not to proceed with the proposal to procure and implement a digital booking system
within all Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) on the mainland and the
Isle of Arran.

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NORTH AYRSHIRE COUNCIL
1 October 2024
Cabinet
Title: HOUSEHOLD WASTE RECYCLING CENTRE (HWRC)
DIGITAL BOOKING SYSTEM
Purpose: To seek approval from Cabinet to implement a digital Household
Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC) booking system at all sites.
Recommendation: That Cabinet approves the proposal to procure and implement a
digital booking system within all Household Waste Recycling
Centres (HWRCs) on the mainland and the Isle of Arran.
1. Executive Summary
1.1 The Council operates four Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) located in
Irvine, Kilbirnie, Largs and at Brodick on the Isle of Arran.
1.2 A HWRC permit system has operated since August 2011 at the mainland HWRCs for
vans and trailers, with height restriction barriers being installed. A pre-paid permit
system is in place at Brodick for commercial vehicles.
1.3 The Council approved a saving in February 2024 of £75,000 to reduce HWRC Opening
Hours. The implementation of a digital booking system will support the budget decision
for reduced operating hours/days and help minimise the impact on our customers.
1.4 The procurement and implementation of a digital booking system at HWRCs will
provide a range of benefits, which are detailed in paragraph 2.5. The system will allow
customers to book slots at HWRC sites at a time convenient to them and this will
enable the appropriate support to offload their household waste safely and correctly,
minimising contamination and improving recycling.
1.5 An outline of the key aspects of how the digital booking system will operate are detailed
at paragraph 2.7.
2. Background
2.1 The Council operates four Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs), three on the
mainland, located in Irvine, Kilbirnie and Largs and one in Brodick on the Island of
Arran.
2.2 A HWRC permit system for vans and trailers was implemented in August 2011 on the
mainland, which included the installation of vehicle height restriction barriers. The
Appendix 2

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permits allow 12 visits per annum per household, however if residents wish to use a
HWRC more frequently for the reuse/recycling or disposal of household waste only,
additional permits may be issued where justified. A pre-paid permit process is in place
at Brodick HWRC for the deposit of commercial waste only, as alternative disposal
facilities on Arran are limited. 
2.3 The Council approved a saving in February 2024 of £75,000 to reduce HWRC opening
hours, based on closing the sites for some days and we will no longer operate 7 days
per week. This will likely result in longer than usual waiting times at peak periods, as
well as on the day after sites re-open. The implementation of a digital booking system
will support delivery of the budget decision for reduced operating hours/days, while
minimising the associated impact on our customers. 
2.4 The Corporate Transformation Team and officers from the Waste Service have
engaged with a range of councils that have already implemented a digital HWRC
booking system and identified best practice from them to support the implementation of
a system within North Ayrshire’s HWRCs. The feedback received from some of the
Councils included: 
• East Renfrewshire Council - received minimal complaints regarding the introduction
of the booking system.
• South Ayrshire Council - since the implementation of the booking system they have
not had to review any incidents at their Ayr site and from a safety point of view, it
has been a great improvement. Customers commented on how much safer they
felt when visiting their sites.
• Hampshire County Council - HWRC tonnages decreased by 70,000 which equates
to a 37% reduction and only 3% of bookings are being made over the phone, with
the rest being made online.
• Kent County Council – site staff have reported an increase in job satisfaction.
• North Lanarkshire Council - during a pilot in 2023/24 at one HWRC, 59,000
bookings were made and 98.6% were online, with positive feedback from site staff
and customers. Following the successful pilot this is now being implemented at all
their sites.
• Research has shown that councils who have implemented a booking system have
not experienced a visible increase in fly tipping following its inception. 
2.5 The system will focus on allowing customers to be able to book a time slot at HWRC
sites at a time convenient to them and this will enable the provision of appropriate
support to offload their household waste safely and correctly, minimising contamination
and improving recycling. The key benefits of implementing a digital HWRC booking
system include: 
• Customer Experience
o Avoidance of long queues at sites, particularly at peak times and providing
certainty of access to the site at the time and date booked, while reducing
customer waiting/lost time.
o Reduced vehicle idling when queuing, reducing vehicle emissions and the
associated fuel costs for customers.
o Freeing up staff to assist with customers and encourage reuse/recycling.

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o Ability to send booking reminders and bulk notifications to customers e.g. for
emergency site closures/ training.
o Supporting the ability to book the same day will be a key element of the
system.
o Providing a simple and standardised booking experience, which will support
the incorporation of the existing HWRC permit access system and policy for
vans, trailers and oversize vehicles, standardising the application process
and streamlining the approach for customers.
o Provides an opportunity to close off booking times at individual sites for small
periods as required to allow the delivery of essential staff training.
o Supports the ‘Meet and Greet’ approach to ensure customers have booked
and to ascertain what wastes customers have for deposit at the site. 
• Health and Safety
o Reduced traffic at the sites ensures a safer site for the customer and
employees, particularly at peak times. 
o It will reduce the risk of violence and aggression towards staff.
o It will prevent Police Scotland having to visit the sites during extremely busy
periods to deal with traffic congestion and reduce queue jumping incidents
and the associated customer and staff issues in respect of this. 
• Site Misuse
o Ability to monitor the level of customer visits / flag up unusual visit patterns,
helping to identify and prevent site misuse.
o Discourage commercial businesses from misusing the sites. 
o Ensure no hazardous waste enters sites e.g. asbestos and supports the
provision of waste related information to customers in advance of their visit
(waste packing advice, waste disposal guidance etc).
o Avoidance of fly-tipping near HWRCs, due to certainty of access and never
having to leave a site with a full vehicle. 
• Analysis
o Allows the understanding of patterns/trends for site usage through bookings
and the type of materials that are being presented for reuse, recycling or
disposal.
o Supports engagement with frequent site users to ascertain whether
additional support is required e.g. help with recycling at home. 
• Financial
o It will improve staff vigilance which will help to reduce contamination and the
associated contamination contractual charges levied on the Council.
o Improved staff vigilance will help to increase reuse/recycling and reduce
waste disposal costs.
o It will help to reduce the overall disposal costs due to reduced tonnages,
through avoiding waste from residents of neighbouring councils and
improved commercial waste controls.

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2.6 The system will focus on allowing customers to be able to book slots at HWRC sites at
a time convenient to them and this will enable the appropriate support to offload their
household waste safely and correctly, minimising contamination and improving reuse
and recycling.
2.7 The key aspects of how the digital booking system will operate are included below:
• Customers will still be able to call to book slots via the contact centre without
signing up to MyNAC, however it is expected the vast majority will book on-line.
• Should a customer present at a site without a booking then a ‘one time’ pass will be
issued, which will be recorded against the car registration number.
• An extensive communication campaign will be carried out ensuring the new system
is widely publicised via multiple communications channels.
• A number of same day booking slots will be made available via the system, to
accommodate unexpected demands, subject to availability.
• The system will also support the digital delivery and management of the existing
permit system and policy for householders seeking access with vans and small
trailers, as well as facilitate the review and digitisation of the commercial permit
system on Arran.
• The system will be configured to support family members to be able to deposit
household waste on behalf of elderly NAC residents.
• The system will be implemented as soon as practically possible taking account of
the communication required and the procurement of the system.
2.8 A one-off implementation cost is estimated to be around £6,500 for tablets and system.
Recurring costs are estimated to be around £5,000 for hosting, licences etc and will be
met from the existing Waste Service revenue budget through savings in waste disposal
costs.
2.9 The estimated implementation date is 1 April 2025 which will provide sufficient time for
the procurement of the system, configuration and testing of the system, alignment with
MyNac & the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system and an extensive
communications campaign.
2.10 An implementation and communication plan will be developed which includes:
• A cross-service implementation group will ensure that all services and stakeholders
are considered in the implementation strategy and within the communication plan.
This will include Customer Services, Communications, Financial Services,
Procurement, IT, Transformation and the Waste Service.
• A marketing campaign will be undertaken in advance to advise residents of the
implementation of the new digital booking system.
• Providing clear guidance on the implementation of the new digital booking system,
including step by step guidance on how to book using the online system, or through
the Customer Contact Centre for those residents without digital access.
• New signage will be installed at the gates of each HWRC to advise residents of the
implementation of the new booking system.
• The council’s website will be updated prior to implementation with the details of the
booking system, including a detailed section to answer frequently asked questions.

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3. Proposals
3.1 That Cabinet approved the proposal to implement the HWRC Booking System at all
sites on the mainland and on the Isle of Arran.
4. Implications/Socio-economic Duty
Financial
4.1 An estimated initial investment cost of £6,500 will be required for the purchase and
installation of the system with ongoing revenue costs of £5,000 per annum.
Human Resources
4.2 There are no direct implications for human resources.
Legal
4.3 Household Waste Recycling Centres are only licensed for the acceptance of specific
types of household waste. The implementation of a digital HWRC booking system will
assist the council in ensuring compliance with the site waste management licences,
which are issued and regulated by SEPA.
Equality/Socio-economic
4.4 The proposal will ensure that HWRCs are equally accessible for all customers.
Environmental and Sustainability
4.5 The implementation of a HWRC booking system will support the promotion of a
circular economy in North Ayrshire to reduce consumption of raw materials and
promote reuse and recycling.
Key Priorities
4.6 The proposal supports the Council Plan strategic priority to be a sustainable council,
through supporting the effective governance and management of resources.
Community Wealth Building
4.7 The implementation of the HWRC booking system contributes to being a Community
Wealth Building Council that is efficient and accessible, maximising investment and
focusing resources towards our priorities, and by supporting the reuse and recycling
of waste, helping to reduce carbon emissions and contributing to the mitigation of
climate change.

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5. Consultation
5.1 Consultation has taken place with Customer Services, Transformation, IT and
Procurement. A report was taken to the Policy Advisory Panel on 10 September 2024
and feedback was positive.
RUSSELL McCUTCHEON 
Executive Director (Place)
For further information please contact Thomas Reaney, Head of Service (Neighbourhood
Services), on 01294 324570. 
Background Papers
0

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OFFICIAL-PROTECT INFORMATION
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Audit and Scrutiny Committee 
Household Waste Recycling Centre Digital Booking System
Overview
A proposal to implement a digital Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC) booking system
at all sites was approved by Cabinet on 1st October 2024. The council operates three sites on
the mainland (Irvine, Kilbirnie and Largs) and one on the Isle of Arran in Brodick. 
The proposal had previously been presented to the Policy Advisory Panel on 10 September 2024
and members present were broadly satisﬁed with the proposal.
Proposal
The proposal sought approval to implement a digital Household Waste Recycling Centre
(HWRC) booking system at all sites (Irvine, Kilbirnie, Largs and Brodick) from April 2025. 
Householders will be able to book online via the Council’s website or, if this is not possible, by
telephoning the Customer Contact Centre, or in person at the local offices in Irvine, Largs,
Saltcoats and Arran. 
How will it operate?
A digital booking system will allow customers to book slots at HWRC sites at a time convenient
to them and this will enable staff to help offload their household waste safely and correctly,
minimising contamination and improving reuse and recycling, while avoiding queues at peak
times.
Booking systems have already proved successful in a number of other local authority areas in
Scotland, including at both South and East Ayrshire, and are widely used throughout the UK to
assist in making visits to the sites smoother and quicker. 22 of the 32 Scottish Councils (approx.
69%) have a type of booking system in place within their HWRCs. The extent of the use of
booking systems can vary by individual sites and can be used and applied to vans, trailers and
all cars.
The Corporate Transformation Team conducted research with 5 Scottish and 2 English councils
that have already implemented digital HWRC booking systems to identify best practice to
support the implementation of a digital booking system within North Ayrshire’s HWRCs. 
The digital booking system proposal aims to ensure that the HWRCs can still be easily accessed
by householders, while improving traffic management and employee and visitor safety,
enhancing the customer experience, reducing pollution from vehicle queuing/idling, increasing
operational efficiency, preventing access to visitors from neighbouring local authority areas,
ensuring legal compliance with waste management licences by deterring businesses from
depositing their commercial waste illegally in the household waste recycling centres and
avoiding any unnecessary waste disposal costs.
A comprehensive and extensive communication and marketing campaign will be carried out
prior to implementation to ensure that the new system is widely publicised via multiple
communications channels. Comprehensive, clear, step-by-step guidance on the use of the new
digital booking system, including how to book using the system, or through the Customer
Contact Centre and local offices for those residents without digital access. 
To avoid any customers being turned away who are not aware of the new system, if
householders presented at a HWRC without a booking, then a ‘one time’ pass will be issued and
Appendix 3

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recorded against their car registration number and they would still be able to deposit their waste
at the site, allowing guidance and information leaﬂets to be provided to support their future
access.
A number of same day booking slots will also be made available via the system, to
accommodate unexpected demands (on a ﬁrst come ﬁrst served basis) and the system will be
conﬁgured to support family members to be able to book and deposit household waste on
behalf of elderly/disabled NAC residents.
Consultation and Engagement
Consultation has taken place with the relevant internal council services, including Customer
Services, Transformation, IT, Communications and Procurement. 
Discussions also took place with employees from the service and the full time Trade Union
officials, who are supportive the proposal particularly as it reduces the risk of violence and
aggression incidents. 
The consultation and engagement process included presentations to the Council’s
Transformation Board, a report to the Council’s Executive Leadership Team (ELT), a report to the
Council’s cross-party Policy Advisory Panel on 10th September 2024, a presentation to Trade
Unions on 5th September 2024 prior to being presented to Cabinet on 1st October 2024.
The Cabinet report of 1st October 2024 describes how an extensive communication campaign
would be carried out ensuring the new system is widely publicised via multiple communications
channels, to ensure that all householders are aware of the implementation of the new system.
Research conducted by the Corporate Transformation Team with councils who had
implemented a booking system, suggests that high levels of customers use the online booking
service, with some councils reporting that over 95% book online with low percentages opting to
book through either phoning Customer Contact Centres or visiting local offices.  During
engagement on the development and implementation of the Council’s Digital Strategy, 95% of
all respondents indicated they had access to the internet and emails and the preferred method
of receiving information was through digital.
Other Councils advised that no public consultation was carried out prior to implementation of a
digital HWRC booking system, however customer satisfaction surveys took place after
implementation to support improvements in the use of the booking system. It is proposed that
North Ayrshire Council adopt a similar approach to ensure the booking system is continually
optimised to take cognisance of site-speciﬁc circumstances and learn from customer
experience and feedback.
South Lanarkshire Council reported that the booking system for Carluke HWRC continues to
receive positive feedback from site users. A review of the responses received during 2023/2024
showed that over 95% were satisﬁed with their experience of using the site, 97% were satisﬁed
with availability of slots; and more than 98% of respondents rated the booking system easy to
use. South Lanarkshire Council have now implemented at all their sites given the positive
feedback. 
Customer Satisfaction
During 2023/24, several customer complaints were received regarding the HWRC’s being
closed, which can occur as a result of emergency issues, or to allow for the delivery of essential
staff training.

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The implementation of a digital booking system would provide the ability to send bulk
notiﬁcations and reminders to customers regarding emergency site closures, and to allow for
the closing of booking times for short durations at individual sites during quieter periods, to
allow for the delivery of essential staff training, therefore avoiding customers turning up at sites
during essential closures.
Since the proposal to implement the digital booking system was announced, Customer
Services has reported that only a small number of complaints have been received objecting to
the proposal. 
It should be noted that when South Lanarkshire Council piloted a booking system at one site
and then decided to roll out across South Lanarkshire, the feedback from users of the system
was positive whilst feedback from those who hadn’t used the system yet was negative. 
Traffic Management / Health & Safety
Traffic congestion can cause concerns over the volume of vehicle movements within sites, at
the HWRC sites at peak times, particularly at Bartonholm in Irvine, which is the largest and most
used site. 
HWRC staff at the Bartonholm site have reported that they regularly record queues of between
30 and 40 cars at the site at weekends and on occasions as many as 50 to 60 cars queuing.
A Waste Technical Officer reviewed CCTV footage from Sunday 13th October 2024, which
recorded a non-stop stream of 186 cars approximately between 12:25pm and 14:05pm. 
Unfortunately, when large queues form it can result in violence and aggression incidents
towards employees and also amongst members of the public who try to skip the queue. Some
of the employees’ comments on the introduction of a digital booking system are as follows:
‘When there’s queues, we have to deal with traffic management and irate customers – with
a booking system this would be controlled due to a certain number only accessing the site
at one time.’
‘It’s difficult to maintain the machinery when you don’t know the volume of customers
attending the site each day, if customers were booking in advance, we could pre-plan
maintenance of certain machines. The maintenance and upkeep of the machines is really
important to stay operational.’
‘It would also allow more time to sort out tv’s, fridges etc which goes towards improving
the recycling ﬁgures for NAC.’
‘I think the booking system would help deal with the abuse we get because customers
would be told when booking, what waste was acceptable and what wasn’t. Not everyone
checks the website for this information however when booking online all the info will be
there.’
The GMB Trade Union Rep and Site Attendant also commented ‘All in all, I feel this a positive
step and I really hope this gets taken forward.’ 
Police Scotland have also visited Bartonholm HWRC during busy periods, as cars have been
causing traffic congestion and blocking the road. 
The booking system would be conﬁgured to maximise the number of visitor slots that can be
safely managed at each site, without requiring cars to queue at peak times, and the experience

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shared from other councils is that the level of visitors balance out once introduced, particularly
at peak times.
Fly-tipping
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) commissioned detailed
research in November 2022 to explore the ‘possible links between Household Waste Recycling
Centre booking systems and incidents of ﬂytipping - EV04102’, which can be found online at
https://randd.defra.gov.uk/ProjectDetails?ProjectId=21149.
The research surveyed 54 English Local Authorities who have implemented HWRC booking
systems and noted that 43% of LA’s in England have some form of booking system in place. The
research suggests that based on the data available, that there is no indication that a link
between a booking system and increased ﬂy-tipping exists. 
The Corporate Transformation Team and the Waste Service carried out research with both
Scottish and English councils that have implemented a booking system at their HWRCs.
Research has shown that councils who have implemented a booking system have not
experienced a visible increase in ﬂy tipping following its inception.
Under the current process at North Ayrshire, the smaller sites are required to close when the
skips are full and require to be serviced, particularly at peak times, which can lead to ﬂy tipping
at the gates, or in remote locations near to the sites. The implementation of a digital booking
system would even out the number of visits and the associated tonnages over the opening
hours. This will enable the Council to schedule skip servicing and thereby reduce the need to
close sites due to skips being full. 
The implementation of a digital booking system could support the avoidance of ﬂy-tipping near
HWRCs, due to certainty of access for the public at the times booked, meaning customers
would never have to leave a site with a vehicle full of waste.
The proposed HWRC booking system includes the provision of a ‘one time’ pass, should a
customer present at a site without a booking, which will be recorded against their car
registration number and this process will allow the customer to deposit their waste. The
inclusion of a ‘one time’ pass will provide ﬂexibility for householders when visiting the HWRCs
and support their transition to the new system, and therefore mitigate the likelihood of any
household waste being ﬂy-tipped. 
The proposal includes continual and close monitoring of all reported ﬂy tipping cases by the
Streetscene Environmental Enforcement Team, to ensure that cases are recorded, duly
investigated and enforcement action taken where necessary. The ﬁxed penalty for ﬂy-tipping
increased to £500 from 1st January 2024 and the Circular Economy (Scotland) Act 2024 also
introduces additional measures for local authorities to address ﬂy-tipping, which includes the
ability to seize vehicles. A new UK wide Digital Waste Tracking System is scheduled to be
introduced on 1st April 2025, which will record waste movements and help identify
discrepancies to regulatory bodies including SEPA, particularly from rogue traders. The
combination of these new measures is expected to help combat those that ﬂy-tip their waste. 
HWRC Performance & Compliance
Of the 5 Scottish councils contacted who have implemented a booking system within their
HWRCs, none of them advised that their recycling performance has been negatively affected
following implementation of the booking system. Both English councils spoken to advised that

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although the total waste tonnages reduced, improvements were observed in their recycling
rates at their sites.
North Ayrshire collected approximately 11,114 tonnes of waste from the four recycling centres
in 2023/24. Of these 5,694 tonnes of waste (51.2%) was source segregated at the sites, with the
remaining 5,420 tonnes of waste (48.8%) being deposited in the mixed residual waste skips and
requiring further mechanical sorting, indicating that there is signiﬁcant scope for improving the
source segregated reuse and recycling performance at the recycling centres. 
The total waste arisings collected from the four household waste recycling centres over the past
two years has increased by 3.8% from 10,702 tonnes in 2022/23 to 11,114 tonnes in 2023/24
(+412 tonnes).  
Residents from neighbouring authorities may also potentially utilise the recycling centres, as
the Kilbirnie HWRC is closer for residents just inside the Renfrewshire boundary, than visiting
their nearest site in Johnstone. 
South Ayrshire Council introduced their HWRC booking system in July 2022 and East Ayrshire
Council extended their existing HWRC booking system in June 2020 to include all vehicles
during the Covid-19 pandemic. The operation of the booking systems for all vehicles at
neighbouring Ayrshire authorities may have been a contributory factor to the increase in HWRC
arisings at North Ayrshire’s sites since 2022/23. Since the North Ayrshire Digital Booking System
was approved by Cabinet and reported in the press, there has been social media posts
indicating East Ayrshire residents who don’t book a slot at their local HWRC and travel to North
Ayrshire HWRCs which incurs an unnecessary cost for North Ayrshire Council.
A HWRC booking system can be used to support householders in the separation of their waste
for reuse and recycling by providing them with information regarding the waste types that can be
accepted and separately collected at each site in advance of their visit, with an electronic
layout map of the relevant site to aid packing of their vehicles in the correct order, therefore
helping them to source separate their waste prior to their visit. 
The HWRC site attendants would have more time during busy periods to provide help and
advice to residents, to ensure that the materials go in the right skip etc, as well as being able to
avoid contamination, such as preventing items that should not be deposited in the sites, and
which can contaminate a whole skip of recyclable material, such as asbestos, paint, oils etc. 
There will also be an option for anyone requiring assistance to indicate this when booking a slot,
this will enable a member of staff to look out for and assist the resident. This isn’t always
possible at peak periods. 
Household Waste Recycling Centres are only licensed for the deposit and acceptance of
speciﬁc types of household waste, in accordance with a speciﬁc waste management licence
that is issued for each site by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA). The
implementation of a digital HWRC booking system will assist the council in ensuring
compliance with its’ statutory duty to comply with the site waste management licences, as well
as helping to prevent waste types entering the sites which are not compliant with the existing
licences (asbestos, commercial waste etc.). 
Conclusion
The proposed introduction of a digital Household Waste Recycling Centre booking system
would provide a range of beneﬁts including improving traffic management and employee/visitor
safety, reducing the risk of violence and aggression incidents and enhancing the customer

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Page 6 of 6 
OFFICIAL-PROTECT INFORMATION
OFFICIAL-PROTECT INFORMATION
experience and reducing pollution from vehicle queuing/idling. A system would help to increase
operational efficiency while preventing unauthorised access from visitors from neighbouring
local authorities and businesses, ensuring the Council is compliant with the site waste
management licences regulated by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA). 
The digital booking system proposal aims to ensure that the HWRCs can still be easily
accessed, facilitated through a simple and easy-to-use booking system, which includes
providing a number of same day booking slots to accommodate unexpected visitor demand
with the system being conﬁgured to support family members to be able to book and deposit
household waste on behalf of elderly NAC residents. If anyone doesn’t wish to use the digital
method or can’t use the digital method then a booking can still be made through telephoning
the Customer Contact Centre or by visiting a local office.
Streetscene’s Environmental Enforcement Team will continue to closely monitor ﬂy tipping
cases, duly investigating them and taking the necessary enforcement action where appropriate.
Implementation of the system would be supported by a comprehensive and extensive
communication and marketing campaign, with clear step-by-step guidance made available to
residents on the use of the new system in advance of implementation. Easy to follow guidance
leaﬂets would also be made available to support any householders that may attend the sites
without having made a prior booking during the implementation period. 
There is also an unintended consequence if this proposal is not progressed in terms of staff
morale and the health, safety and wellbeing of employees. 
Thomas Reaney
Head of Neighbourhood Services
21 October 2024