A trial will take place at the site which will aim to cut delays for users, reducing queues that can occur particularly during peak times. 

The online system will make it more convenient for site users to plan their trips and to enable them to get access to the site at the time they have booked.

Chair of the council’s Community and Enterprise Resources Committee, Councillor John Anderson, said: “We appreciate that lengthy queues at our Household Waste and Recycling Centres can be incredibly frustrating for visitors.

“We believe the online booking system will help to remove that frustration, reducing congestion at the site and meaning visitors are in and out without any delays.

“We will analyse the success of this pilot and will report to future committees with recommendations based on those findings.”

During peak times, including summer months, weekends and public holidays, the demand for at Household Waste and Recycling Centres (HWRCs) can be significant.

Access roads can become congested, which in turn can impact on local businesses and cause frustration among members of the public.

Occasionally, this frustration can lead to incidences of verbal abuse and aggression towards site staff. Additional measures, including bodycams and CCTV, have been introduced to try and combat this.

Councillor Anderson added: “Of course any abuse of our staff is simply unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Anyone doing this can expect us to pursue it with the police and relevant authorities.”

The booking system will be predominantly on-line, but customer contact centre staff will have access to the system so that residents who do not have internet access would still be able to book slots. The telephone booking service will be available during normal working hours. 

Five of the HWRCs are managed by Biffa on behalf of the council: Blantyre, Rutherglen, East Kilbride, Larkhall and Strathaven. The sixth site, Carluke, is managed by the council and will be the only one to take part in the pilot scheme. 

The booking system confirmation will remind visitors to separate the waste they are depositing on site. This will help improve recycling rates at the site.

Several other local authorities in Scotland operate a booking system for HWRC sites.

The pilot is scheduled to begin in February 2022 – keep checking SL View and the council’s social media for updates nearer the time.