Dorset Council has climbed down from its controversial policy of forcing Purbeck residents to book half hour slots at household recycling centres – or tips – in Swanage and Wareham.
After an outraged response from locals – and less than a week after saying it was ‘determined’ to launch the booking system at all 10 of its tips from autumn 2025 – the council had to make a U-turn and revise its plans.
Dorset Council has abandoned its plans to enforce a booking system at Swanage recycling centre after huge protests
Hundreds of people derided the plans
It was announced on Tuesday 1st July 2025 that ‘following extensive public feedback’, instead of launching the system right across Dorset, the council would now introduce it at only four sites, in Dorchester, Wimborne, Shaftesbury, and Sherborne.
The tips at Swanage and at Wareham, which are modern and efficient, and where there are rarely any queues, will continue to operate as usual, without any need to book slots.
Hundreds of people had derided the plans on Facebook and other social media platforms, emailed the council HQ at Dorchester, and protested to their local councillors and MP.
One of Swanage’s elected councillors on Dorset Council, Gary Suttle, was set to challenge the unpopular decision at a meeting of the full Dorset Council on Thursday 10th July 2025, while Lloyd Hatton, MP for South Dorset which includes Swanage, formally objected to the council’s plans.
Dorset Council councillor Gary Suttle was to have led a rebellion against the booking system at the full council meeting
“This is a victory for the town”
Gary Suttle said:
“This is a perfect example of people power and common sense. Dorset Council failed to look at the evidence – it is clear that if you invest in infrastructure such as Swanage tip, you don’t need to introduce complicated booking systems.
“So many people have emailed me about not having access to computers and the ludicrous situation of being given 30 minute slots, even the guys at the tip were against it – it was just crazy.
“In the Cabinet paper it clearly says that Dorset Council would consult – and then they completely failed to do that. Had they consulted, none of this would have been necessary.
“I was up at the tip yesterday talking to the chaps and was very surprised to find that they have been given boxes and boxes of lovely printed leaflets telling you that this system is going to be introduced very shortly, goodness knows what that cost.
“It is thanks to the people of Swanage who supported me when I posted on Facebook and brought it to their attention, it was true people power.
“The council should learn that if you do something in Swanage without consulting us, we tend to fight back. This is a victory for the town and for common sense.”
South Dorset MP Lloyd Hatton had formally objected to the council’s plan for its recycling centres
“Little more than pointless red tape”
South Dorset MP Lloyd Hatton said:
“I’ve been pushing Dorset Council to scrap this rubbish idea, so I am glad that they are now listening to us. Going forwards, there will be no changes at the tip in Swanage or Wareham.
“Thank you to everyone who spoke up on this pressing local issue. I understand that there is a need to streamline the service and to ensure that waste is not being illegally disposed of at tips, but I was concerned that these proposals would create an unnecessary barrier to recycling.
“In Dorset, we have some of the best household recycling rates across the country and I see it as my responsibility to ensure recycling is as easy and accessible as possible for local people.
“Many busy families saw this proposed new system as little more than pointless red tape which could have led to a reduction in South Dorset’s household recycling rates, and local people across all four corners of South Dorset raised their objections to these proposals.”
Dorset Council Cabinet member Jon Andrews said he had listened to residents and understood their concerns
“We’ve listened to residents”
Jon Andrews, Dorset Council’s Cabinet member for place services, confirmed that tips at Swanage, Wareham, Bridport, Weymouth, Portland and Blandford would continue to operate as usual – without slot bookings – while the council looked to strengthen its measures to prevent commercial misuse.
Jon Andrews said:
“We’ve listened to residents and understand their concerns. We still believe a booking system is the best way to protect our recycling centres from future service cuts, but this new approach allows us to prioritise the areas with the most pressing issues.
“We’ve heard from many residents who say, ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’ And we get that. But the reality is, the current service is costing more than it should, and some areas do need ‘fixing’ to a certain extent.
“A booking system will save hundreds of thousands of pounds – money that helps us keep all our household recycling centres open and avoid reducing hours or closing locations.
“All 10 recycling centres will remain available and free of charge for all Dorset Council residents.”
Swanage Household recycling centre will continue running the way it is at present – without the need for booking a time slot to use it
Council will monitor the new system
The council has said that introducing a booking system at tips in Sherborne and Shaftesbury will allow it to charge non-Dorset residents for using them, saving taxpayers money, as 20 percent of the waste taken there currently came from residents in Somerset and Wiltshire.
And a booking system at Dorchester and Wimborne would ease congestion and queuing, which both sites suffer from due to their location and local road network.
The council will monitor how the system works, looking at the availability of booking slots, customer satisfaction, recycling rates, and any changes in fly-tipping.
A statement said that the council would gather real world data to assess the impact of the booking systems in selected areas of Dorset ‘before considering a wider rollout’.
