Did you go to the tip this weekend?

I have already published an article about the increased reporting of fly tipping in Bristol. Which described how the opening hours change at recycling centres from 7 days a week to 5 days a week meant that we had lost 30% of the available slots.

This article uses utilisation data data provided by Bristol Waste that gives a picture of how many people are using the recycling centres. The data covers the period from 01/01/2025 to 15/06/2025.

Utilisation Data (01/01/2025 to 15/06/2025)

This data shows that the utilisation rate for the past six months was 75%, with the major factor in under utilisation being slots lost to "No Shows" which was 6.39%

Suggestions to Increase the Recycling Rates

There are a number of recycling centre changes Bristol Waste could implement to increase the recycling rates in Bristol.

Change Opening Hours

We already know that Bristol Waste is already looking at ways to reduce costs, so they are unlikely to return to 7 days opening. But they could adjust the opening hours to be more accessible to residents.

These are the current opening hours for our recycling centres. The most popular days appear to be Saturday and Sunday, based on my experience of trying to book a slot at the weekend and finding none are available. I expect this to be a similar experience for other people who are generally at work on Monday to Friday.

Perhaps the weekday hours could be changed from "9am to 5pm" to "10am to 6pm". This would give more working people a chance to visit during the week.

Alternatively, the weekend opening hours could be changed from "8am to 4pm" to "8am to 5pm" with the extra hour being taken from one of the weekdays. This would provide more slots on the most popular days.

No Booking Days

Each Sunday could be made a "No Booking Day" at the Avonmouth and St Philips sites. It would not be feasible at the Hartcliffe Way site as their is nowhere for cars to queue. This would allow people just to turn up and wait in the queue for a slot, which could increase utilisation rates for Sundays.

There is already a "No Booking Month" in June for students, which means that Bristol Waste accept that "No Booking" can b a good idea.

Mobile Household Waste Centres

If the people cannot bring waste to the recycling centres, then why not bring the recycling centre to them?

Birmingham City Council already operate a Mobile Household Waste Centre Scheme.

Our 2 Mobile Household Waste Centres (MHWCs) visit all areas of the city. They visit each location for one morning – from 7:30am to 1:00pm. This means they visit 10 different places in the city each week.

You can bring:

• household rubbish that cannot be reused
• bulky items, including furniture and wood

You cannot bring:

• building materials - such as rubble, concrete, sand or soil, bricks, slabs and paint
• white goods - such as fridges and washing machines
• large items - such as garage doors, tree stumps or thick branches
• hazardous materials - such as asbestos, engine or cooking oil and gas cylinders
• wheelie bins