The controversial booking system for East Sussex’s household waste recycling sites is to be reviewed after county councillors unanimously backed a motion calling for closer scrutiny. Members agreed to refer the booking system for the county’s 10 household waste recycling sites, including Mountfield near Battle, on Tuesday 14 July at a full council meeting.
The motion, proposed by Liberal Democrat councillors Kathryn Field and Stephen Holt, argued the scheme, introduced in November 2024, has left some residents feeling “dissatisfied and excluded”. Councillor Field said the problem was not with those using the service, but with those unable or unwilling to access it. She said the council should consider returning to the previous system.
Concerns raised during the debate included the lack of telephone booking at weekends, the system’s overall popularity and claims that it has contributed to increased fly-tipping.
Council officers reported the booking system had reduced the amount of waste processed at recycling sites by more than expected. They estimated that, if current trends continue, the reduction in waste tonnage could save the council almost £580,000 this financial year.
Councillor Holt challenged those figures, arguing the costs had simply been shifted elsewhere through increased fly-tipping. He rejected an officer briefing which said there had been no significant impact, pointing instead to council data showing an increase of almost 20 tonnes of fly-tipped waste over six months – an eight per cent rise. “That is actually the weight of five mature African elephants,” he said.
Green councillor Julia Hilton proposed an amendment referring the issue to the scrutiny committee for a detailed evidence-based review. Council leader Andy Woolley (Reform UK) supported the move, saying more information was needed to establish whether fly-tipping had genuinely increased.
The amended motion was approved unanimously, with the scrutiny committee now expected to examine the evidence before making recommendations.
Image Credits: David Worwood .