Rye residents and others from East Sussex will shortly have to book their visits to the dump — either online or by phone.
East Sussex County Council is poised to introduce the new system for its household waste recycling sites in “autumn 2025” but has not revealed the exact start date. But in order to give people ample notice, the council will run “some communication messages for a few weeks” before the new booking system opens.
The decision, made in February, was not without opposition, as the vast majority of about 6,000 people responding to the council’s public consultation opposed the booking proposal. It’s thought that many people argued the move would lead to greater fly-tipping.
However, ESCC says a booking system will help prevent misuse of its sites by commercial traders and the sites’ use by out-of-county residents, saving the council £50,000 a year. ESCC also points out that booking will help manage queues at peak times at its busiest sites and improve operations and safety. It says other councils initially encountered resistance but the public later grew used to booking systems for dumps.
“East Sussex County Council is facing significant financial pressures. We must make savings to balance the budget and protect key services,” the council says on its website.
Neighbouring counties Kent and West Sussex are among the 50% of councils in England that already operate a booking system, with Kent now charging a £10 fee for use of a recycling site by out-of-county residents. This charge is thought to have deterred Rye residents from using the larger New Romney dump that was the same distance (13 miles) as the ESCC site at Mountfield north of Battle.
In comparison to New Romney, the Mountfield site is very small and can become congested and some users point out that Rye appears to be the only part of the county where residents have to make an 26-mile round trip by vehicle — at an environmental cost — simply to access a waste recycling site.
It will continue to be free to dispose of household waste, including up to two bags of hardcore, soil or plasterboard per week — although charges apply for greater amounts of these three items (plus asbestos).
More information about East Sussex County Council’s household waste services can be found here.
Image Credits: Peter Connock .