Visits to Shropshire Council’s five household recycling centres will have to be booked in advance from November 4, with all five centres now set to remain open seven days a week.

The booking system – agreed by the council’s Cabinet in July – will help to reduce queues at busy times and encourage more recycling by enabling centre staff to better engage with visitors.

Under the scheme, all residents living in the Shropshire Council and Telford & Wrekin Council areas will be able to book an appointment to visit one of the centres – located in Craven Arms, Bridgnorth, Oswestry, Shrewsbury and Whitchurch.

When the new system is introduced, it will be possible to make both online and by phone – further details will be announced in the coming weeks.

The booking system will also help to prevent the use of the household recycling centres by businesses and non-Shropshire residents.

Meanwhile, plans to close each recycling centre on one day each week to make savings have been paused until at least 31 March 2025 after Veolia – the council’s waste contractor – agreed to cover the cost of keeping all five centres open seven days a week.

Using the booking system, visitor numbers – plus information about which centres are visited and when – will be monitored over the coming months and used to inform a decision about opening times from April 2025.

Ian Nellins, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member with responsibility for waste management, said:

“Booking systems are already in place at recycling centres in many other parts of the country, where they have led to a significant increase in recycling, and helped to smooth demand throughout the day, reducing congestion and queuing and making the sites safer. We’re confident that will be the case here in Shropshire too.

“I’m also delighted that all five recycling centres are to remain open seven days a week, at least for the coming months, and I thank Veolia for their support that has made this possible. I’m sure this will be welcomed by visitors to the centres.”

For more information about Shropshire council’s household recycling centres, visit shropshire.gov.uk