Chaos at Powys household recycling centres before booking and charging system came in

All five Household Recycling Centres in Powys have seen an increase in visitors over the past weeks, leading to long queues and waiting times.

Powys County Council have confirmed that there was an increase in visitors to recycling centres recently, ahead of planned changes involving a booking and payment system.

One Knighton woman said it had taken her nearly two and a half hours to go to the recycling centre in Llandrindod Wells.

 Christine Williams said: “That’s nearly two and a half hours of my life I won’t see again!

“A 40 mile round trip to do the ‘right thing’ by taking items to the Llandod re-cycling centre - absolute chaos!!

“Understandably, people are trying to de-stash before the new booking system and additional charges comes into force on April 1, but it’s total madness!

“Just under an hour of queuing to get in - people are fuming! I did ask the only guy there, if it’s always like this. He replied, ‘Nope, only since Powys introduced the new system’.”

The council said that they believe this has been caused by misinformation over the changes, saying some “may think that they are going to not be able to book a slot or have to pay for all the waste and recycling that they take to the sites”.

A spokesperson for Powys County Council said: “We have seen an increase in visitors to all five Household Recycling Centres over the past few weeks, often resulting in long queues and significant waiting times.

“This has mainly been caused by the large amount of misinformation being circulated meaning residents may think that they are going to not be able to book a slot or have to pay for all the waste and recycling that they take to the sites. Once again, we would ask people to look at our website where we have answers to all the questions that we have received. 

“If people are fully aware of what the new changes actually mean for them, they should have no problem booking a slot and will realise that charges only apply to certain types of DIY waste.

“The booking system opened last Tuesday in preparation for those wishing to visit the recycling centres from April 1 onwards. So far, over 200 bookings have been successfully made for visits next week.

“We would like to remind residents that the booking system will reduce congestion and queuing times, will make visits easier and less time consuming and will allow staff more time to help visitors who may need advice and/or assistance on site.

“The booking system will also allow all the sites to be managed more efficiently, reducing the possibility of the containers becoming full and ensuring that residents can recycle their items properly when they visit.”