Household Waste Recycling Centre Digital Booking System
North Ayrshire Council · 1 October 2024
Back to Cabinet — 1 October 2024 and its agenda
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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
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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