Decision details

Dorset Council operates 10 HRCs, handling around 55,000 tonnes of materials annually with a cost of approximately £5.12 million for the fiscal year 2024/25. Additionally, Dorset Council pays £737,416 per annum to neighbouring authorities to allow Dorset residents to use their HRCs (Hampshire County Council £302,416 and BCP Council £435,000).

A part year saving of £60,000 was put forward by the Waste Service for the 2025/26 financial year, from restricting neighbouring authority residents form using Dorset’s HRCs. The introduction of a booking system is required to allow for this saving to be delivered. This saving was included in Dorset Council’s 2025/26 budget which was approved by Full Council on 11 February 2025.

The key benefits and deliverables from introducing a booking system are:

(i)             Reduce disposal costs from preventing non-Dorset residents from accessing the HRCs for free.

(ii)            Improve the visitor experience and pollution from reduced queues to access HRCs.

(iii)          Deter trade waste abuse

(iv)          Improve communication with customers by providing timely updates, reminders and notifications through the booking system

(v)           Provide essential new data on site usage, visitor patterns, and customer feedback to support future data-driven decision making

ANPR cameras are required to verify vehicle bookings at HRCs in real time, supporting operational efficiency and preventing misuse, in pursuit of the council’s legitimate aim of promoting economic well-being.

Following public feedback, the implementation of the booking system has been agreed upon as follows:

(i)             Shaftesbury and Sherborne HRCs: All visits must be booked prior to attendance. These sites were selected to achieve the full £120,000 savings per annum by stopping non-Dorset residents from using Dorset’s HRCs for free.

(ii)           Dorchester and Wimborne HRCs: All visits must be booked prior to attendance. These sites experience the most significant queuing and congestion issues, which the booking system will address.

(iii)          All remaining HRCs (Blandford, Bridport, Portland, Swanage, Wareham, and Weymouth): Bookings will only be required for DIY waste visits, which is the current requirement. Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras will be deployed to monitor site usage, and this data will be used to drive future decisions for these sites.

To introduce a booking system for all visits to the Dorchester, Shaftesbury, Sherborne, and Wimborne HRCs. The remaining HRCs (Blandford, Bridport, Portland, Swanage, Wareham, and Weymouth) will require bookings only for DIY waste which is currently already required. Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras will be deployed to monitor site usage at all 10 sites, and this data will be used to inform future decisions. All bookings will be made online until the Intelligent Virtual Agent is ready to handle phone bookings.

Dorset Council operates 10 HRCs, handling around 55,000 tonnes of materials annually with a cost of approximately £5.12 million for the fiscal year 2024/25. Additionally, Dorset Council pays £737,416 per annum to neighbouring authorities to allow Dorset residents to use their HRCs (Hampshire County Council £302,416 and BCP Council £435,000).

A part year saving of £60,000 was put forward by the Waste Service for the 2025/26 financial year, from restricting neighbouring authority residents form using Dorset’s HRCs. The introduction of a booking system is required to allow for this saving to be delivered. This saving was included in Dorset Council’s 2025/26 budget which was approved by Full Council on 11 February 2025.

Alternative Options considered and rejected

The booking system has been developed following consultation with other local authorities who have introduced similar systems. Alternative delivery of the systems has been considered and the intended implementation method is considered optimum in terms of service delivery and value for money.

It is projected that £120,000 will be saved annually in reduced disposal costs by stopping non-Dorset residents from accessing Sherborne and Shaftesbury HRCs free of charge. A £60,000 saving has been included in the 2025-26 budget as a part year saving to allow the booking system to be implemented.

The booking system has annual revenue costs of circa £20,000. There are one-off implementation costs which are expected to be circa £100,000 (equipment, groundwork and signage). These costs will be funded through existing Waste Services budgets and project adjustments.