New booking system planned for Flintshire Recycling Centres

Flintshire residents could soon be required to book online before going to dispose of waste at household recycling centres.

It follows problems sparked by the introduction of reduced opening hours at recycling centres in the county at the start of May, which saw some people queuing for up to a hour to get in.

Flintshire Council decided earlier this year to cut the number of days the facilities in Mold, Buckley, Oakenholt, Sandycroft and Greenfield are open from seven down to five in a bid to save money..

It led to issues in Buckley as images on social media showed cars backing up outside the HRC on Globe Way, with some queues also reported in Sandycroft.

While the local authority says the problem has since eased, it is now planning to introduce an online booking system to prevent any further long waits.

Katie Wilby, Flintshire’s chief officer for streetscene and transportation, said in a report: “In the first four weeks following the change, increased queues to access the sites were reported, particularly in Buckley where access is shared by surrounding businesses and the football ground.

“This has become less of an issue over time and customers have become more accustomed to the new schedule.

“The ideal solution to this issue in future would be an online booking system for all customers.

“The majority of local authorities across Wales now operate a booking system for customers to access HRCs, which has multiple benefits.”

Commenting on the overall impact of reduced opening hours, she added: “To date, there has been no impact on the recycling performance for each site.

“In addition, streetscene has not experienced an increase of fly tipping since the change.”

Under the changes to opening hours, the centres in Mold, Oakenholt and Sandycroft are closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Meanwhile, those in Greenfield and Buckley are shut on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

The report is due to be discussed by members of the council’s environment and economy scrutiny committee on Tuesday (October 8, 2024), where councillors will be asked to back the introduction of the new booking system.

By Liam Randall – Local Democracy Reporter