The online booking system, ‘Click and Tip’, at the re3 Recycling Centres in Bracknell and Reading is to be retained as decided at the January meeting of the re3 Joint Waste Disposal Board. First introduced in May 2020, as a response to the Covid pandemic, the system has proven to be successful in managing demand at peak periods and in addressing the climate emergency goals of the three Authorities. Visitors, residents, and local businesses are now benefiting from quicker and more efficient journeys and improved air quality with fewer idling cars due to the shorter queues on the approach roads. Additionally, residents are developing better recycling habits, making each trip more efficient with greater quantities of waste and recycling per single trip.

The service received praise by residents in exit surveys, with 88% of users confirming they experienced shorter queues and over three quarters of the respondents noting that it is easier to recycle with the booking system in place.

Since the introduction of the booking service, the number of booking slots doubled per week to over 12,200 during the winter period and to over 14,500 during the summer months across both sites. With more time slots than ever available, over 65% of residents choose to book on the day or a day in advance and are welcome to make a booking up to an hour before they wish to go. Residents who are unable to access the online service, can book a visit via their Council’s call centres or are encouraged to ask a family member or a friend to make a booking on their behalf.

re3 Board Members agreed to keep the booking system under review, to consider further improvements. These include:

• Integrating translation services to the on-line platform, which will include over 100 languages, improving accessibility and clarity for residents whose first language is not English.
• Ensuring that residents without internet access are aware of the routes through which they can make a booking and access the sites.
• Using booking system data to map areas of low usage and to advertise the service in those areas.

Furthermore where possible, Councils will seek to understand why residents that have not accessed the service have chosen not to do so. Their feedback will be sought in upcoming Council Resident Surveys and utilised by re3 to improve the service further.

Cllr Mrs Dorothy Hayes MBE, Bracknell Forest Council’s Executive Member for Environment and Chairman of the Joint Waste Disposal Board says: “It has been a learning path to us all, but we strongly believe that the booking system brings a huge benefit to the Partnership. It has reduced waiting times, cut congestion, and minimised traffic disruption. The reduction in queuing vehicles has certainly improved air quality for neighbours, which is a big bonus to the environment.”

Cllr Karen Rowland, Reading Borough Council’s Lead Councillor for Neighbourhoods & Communities, added: “Our residents have been praising the quality of the service at the re3 facilities and we are certain that the booking system plays a big part in achieving a high level of user satisfaction. However, we will not stop here, and we are looking to discover areas of the town where there may be a slower pick-up of the service to ensure that the service is equally accessible for everyone by using the booking system data to map areas of low usage. We will then be also looking for ways that we can engage with those residents who have never used the service and will be seeking views via the Council’s Annual Resident’s Survey.”

Cllr Ian Shenton, Wokingham Borough Council’s Executive Member for Environment, Sport and Leisure, said: “We are incredibly grateful to all residents who have expressed their feedback and we are glad that the vast majority found it easier to recycle with the booking system. The benefits of the booking system are not only seen in the environmental aspects but also in the behavioural changes amongst residents. We are seeing more efficient and compressed journeys, suggesting that advance planning encourages residents to be more organised.”