RESIDENTS have been left frustrated by a new recycling booking system in Dovercourt.

The system, set to be introduced country-wide by Essex County Council (ECC), will be trialled for all vehicles visiting recycling centres before its launch in March.

However, Dovercourt resident Brian Hurley believes the system is unnecessary and will cause more harm than good.

He said: “My main gripe with this is that there’s been no consultation with the public, there have been trials in Purfleet for example but that site is way bigger than the Dovercourt tip, so it’s not the same.

“The Dovercourt site is also closed on Thursday and Friday so this booking system will make it even tougher to dispose of rubbish.

“If all the spaces are booked, the next closest site is Clacton. What if someone has to visit a tip regularly? It could be a nightmare.

“I remember a few years back when the A12 was full of flytipping and this will only make things worse.”

Pedestrians and cyclists carrying waste from their own homes are not required to book a slot as well as blue badge holders.

Any resident that parks outside a centre and attempts to walk waste in will be refused entry.

Harwich councillor Ivan Henderson said: “Essex County Council is using the strength of its councillors to impose changes on residents without any consultation.

“This isn’t needed in the Harwich and Dovercourt area because we don’t have a problem with queuing.

"The only time there was an issue was during the pandemic, but that’s over.

“What we don’t want is people flytipping if they find that easier than booking a slot.”

A spokesperson for Essex County Council said: “We recognise that our sites have different characteristics, however, if we only introduced a booking system at specific sites it may encourage residents to use sites where no booking is required.

“Therefore, bookings will be required at all sites and across our operating hours in order to prevent demand being pushed from high-demand locations to lower capacity sites, which would lead to an increase in congestion.

“The information provided by residents will only be used for the booking process.

"Information is processed in accordance with any applicable data protection legislation and regulations."