Three Data-Driven Reasons Every County Council Needs a HWRC Booking System
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Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) face increasing pressure as councils work through unprecedented budget shortfalls.
In response, many counties are looking at closing sites or cutting back hours, with conversations focusing on scaling back to the legal minimum service levels.
This means budgets are tighter than ever, and resources are stretched thin.
However, the need to save money, keep residents happy, and run sites more efficiently has never been more important.
While no single solution can address all these challenges, one approach is growing in popularity: more than half of councils now use a HWRC booking system to deliver these efficiencies.
Interestingly, county councils in our user community have seen remarkable results, with an average return on investment of over 1000%.
We work with some of the UK's largest counties —like Kent, Essex, Hampshire, West Sussex, and Lancashire—managing over 20 million HWRC bookings every year.
That hands-on experience gives us a unique perspective on how a booking system can impact site management at the county level.
In this blog, we draw on real data and firsthand experiences from councils like yours to show how our HWRC booking system tackles three major operational challenges. We also explore why rolling out the wrong solution can do more harm than good.
Challenge 1:?
Councils are staring down a ￡2bn funding gap in 2025/26, making it critical to find efficiencies and protect vital waste services.
How our HWRC booking system tackles it:
Across our community of county council users, the booking system has delivered an average annual saving of ￡450,000—that’s a 1000% return on investment!
For these councils, the cost savings typically come from two main areas:
1.?????? Material Savings
2.?????? Efficiency savings
Material savings
West Sussex County Council found that sites using booking technology handle, on average, 35% less waste than those without it, resulting in an estimated annual saving of ￡650,000.
Within just a few months of going live, WSCC also banned 11 additional vehicles from its sites, further reducing costs and cutting down on unauthorised waste.
Kent County Council reports similar success, with material savings of over ￡1.3 million since implementing bookings.
Hampshire County Council, another of our partners, saw a 31% reduction in tonnage after introducing the system—all without resorting to site closures or changes to operating hours.
This reduction in tonnage is largely driven by innovative rules, alerts, and workflows that empower site managers to control usage and stop (or charge) out-of-borough residents and traders from using sites.?
Kent County Council also highlights a shift in customer behaviour as another key factor. Since the booking system went live, people have been visiting less often but bringing slightly more waste per trip. Anecdotally, there’s been a rise in re-use and reselling, along with greater reliance on skips—further helping to cut down on overall tonnage.
Efficiency Savings:
With AI-optimised demand management and deeper insights into usage patterns, HWRC managers can allocate staff more effectively, avoid over/understaffing, and reduce unnecessary overtime spending.
Predictable waste inflows also allow staff to efficiently plan the use of site equipment and transport vehicles. This proactive approach minimises wasted capacity and avoids the high costs of dealing with unexpected surges in volume. These improvements have helped Kent County Council save over ￡170,000 annually.
Kent has also seen significant savings through the booking system’s communication tools. Previously, site closures required time-intensive efforts like creating signage, printing leaflets, or running press ads. Now, staff can simply block bookings, update the website, and send notifications using the system’s built-in mass emailer—saving time and money.
Other community members have streamlined processes further by replacing or integrating voucher and permit schemes with their booking systems. West Sussex County Council estimates this change alone saves them around ￡75,000 a year in printing costs.
At the same time, Hampshire County Council highlights the value of tracking waste stream data both before and after each visit. These insights have helped reduce material segregation costs and improve overall efficiency across their sites.
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Challenge 2:
Councils are being tasked with finding new ways to increase recycling rates and reduce their environmental impact.
How our HWRC booking system tackles it:
Across our community of county councils, we’ve seen recycling rates rise by about 7%.
A big part of this success is that site staff now have more time to guide visitors toward the right containers and emphasise proper waste separation rather than dealing with traffic flow. Since our booking system handles many on-site processes automatically, staff can focus on helping residents recycle correctly.
The system’s in-built communication tools also make it easier to share targeted recycling messages so visitors understand how to separate their waste.
By streamlining visits and cutting queues, our community states that the booking system reduces idle vehicles on-site and encourages residents to drop off more waste in fewer trips—helping lower pollution and offset carbon emissions.
Challenge 3:
Keeping pace with modern user expectations while addressing initial concerns from some residents.
How our HWRC booking system tackles it:
While the introduction of a booking system was initially a hot topic, a user-first approach has quickly won over residents in the counties we serve. They often highlight the following as key service improvements:
A recent resident survey by Kent County Council reinforces these benefits:
One of the most significant success factors among our community of councils is their commitment to user-centred design. By adopting dynamic, calendar-based booking systems—rather than static, form-based products—these councils can continuously gather and act on resident feedback. This approach ensures a truly fit-for-purpose service that meets the needs of its community.
Other notable benefits.
Data from our community highlights a range of additional benefits that county councils are experiencing with the booking system, including:
For a deeper dive into how the system benefits county councils, click here.
The caveat:
Not all HWRC Booking Systems are created equal, especially at the county level.
In today's fast-evolving digital world, the effectiveness of public services hinges on the technology that drives them. Booking a visit to a Household Waste Recycling Centre is often a topic of contention, and the method residents use to secure their appointments can significantly influence their overall experience, satisfaction, and willingness to engage with the service.
Equally important, the choice of technology is crucial in determining how well the system aligns with and supports long-term strategic goals.
It’s also important to recognise that web-based HWRC booking applications—known for boosting user satisfaction and operational efficiency—differ significantly from static form-based workflows, which often fail to handle complex requirements. These differences fall under four key themes that become especially relevant at the county level:
If you want to learn more about these differences, check out this blog we wrote for LARAC.
Ready to learn more?
This brief introduction highlights the advantages of our award-nominated HWRC Booking System for county councils.
To discover more about its features and benefits, click here to see it in action.