Booking system coming autumn 2025 (FAQ)
When will I need to book to visit a recycling site?
No date has been set, but we will introduce a booking system in early autumn 2025. This is to avoid introducing it during the busy spring and summer period. We will be publicising the new arrangements over the summer in the run up to launch. This will include additional information about how the booking system will work.
Meanwhile, you can continue visiting household waste recycling sites without booking in advance.
How do I book a visit?
You won’t need to book until we introduce the booking system in early autumn. When the system goes live, the quickest way of booking will be through the booking portal on our website.
You will also be able to speak to our contact centre to make a booking over the telephone if you need help.
Why is a booking system being introduced?
A booking system will deliver significant operational and financial benefits and will:
• help to manage queues at peak times at our busiest sites
• help to improve operations and safety
• prevent traders from illegally tipping commercial waste
• ensure that only East Sussex residents are accessing the sites for free
Around 50% of councils in England now operate some sort of booking system. This includes West Sussex, Hampshire, Kent and West Berkshire. Feedback from these councils suggest they work well, and residents are satisfied with the ease of making a booking.
Will I have to pay to tip waste?
No, household waste recycling sites will continue to be free for East Sussex residents to dispose of their household waste.
Our existing charging scheme for hardcore, soil, plasterboard, and asbestos will continue. Residents will continue to be entitled to free disposal for the first two bags of hardcore, soil or plasterboard per week.
Can I visit if I am not an East Sussex resident?
Non-East Sussex residents are allowed to book a visit but will be charged a small fee to use the service. This is to cover the cost of disposing of their waste to minimise the burden on Council Tax payers in East Sussex. The fee will be confirmed shortly.
How was this decided?
This was decided by the Lead Member for Transport and Environment on 24 February 2025. The report and minutes from the meeting are available in the Lead Member meeting information section of our website.
This decision was called in by Place Scrutiny Committee and reviewed at the meeting on 13 March 2025. The minutes from this meeting are available in the Place Scrutiny Committee section of our website.
Was there a public consultation?
A public consultation ran for eight weeks between 28 October and 22 December 2024. Around 6,000 people responded to the consultation. We are grateful for the valuable feedback that will help us to develop the booking system.
We acknowledge the strength of feeling about the proposals in making this decision. East Sussex County Council is facing significant financial pressures. We must make savings to balance the budget and protect key services. A booking system will help to curtail misuse of our sites by traders and out of county residents. This will save £50,000 per year.
The consultation took place on our in-house consultation platform, Citizen Space. It cost £4,095 in staff time to carry out the consultation. No external consultants were used.
Will a booking system cause more fly-tipping?
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) concluded in 2023 that there is no evidence that the introduction of booking systems causes fly-tipping to increase. Our neighbouring councils in Kent and West Sussex did not experience an increase in fly-tipping when they introduced their booking systems.
Fly-tipping is a criminal offence which can be punished by an unlimited fine and up to five years’ imprisonment if convicted in court. The severity of these punishments is enough to deter most people from committing offences.
The booking system will help with waste enforcement by improving the information held about users of our household recycling sites. If someone is refused entry because of suspected trade waste, then this can help us trace the person if their waste is later found fly-tipped.
It is illegal for businesses to dispose of their waste at a household waste recycling site. They must use a licenced commercial waste transfer station to dispose of their waste to comply with the law.
