VAN drivers will be forced to book one-hour slots when dropping off waste at Essex’s recycling centres as part of a trial booking system.

Essex County Council hopes the system, which will be introduced at the county’s nine larger centres, including in Colchester, Clacton, Braintree and Maldon, will help to cut congestion and waiting times.

The sites which allow vans and trailers will see an 18-month trial in which drivers can book a slot to drop off their household waste.

Malcolm Buckley, cabinet member for waste, said the main aims of introducing a booking system are to reduce offsite queues, to manage congestion, to better manage peak demand, and to flatten usage across opening hours.

The initial focus will be vans and large trailers, although this may be extended to other vehicles in the future.

A report said the operational change proposed will require all vans and vehicles towing a large trailer to access an online system to pre-book visits on an agreed date and time.

The scheme is expected to start next month to allow for some testing before the pilot is officially launched in June.

The report added that booking systems adopted elsewhere have demonstrated effectiveness at minimising queuing and congestion at sites.

A spokesperson for Essex County Council said: “Introducing a booking system for vans at recycling centres in Essex will help manage waiting times, reduce offsite queues and improve the experience of residents visiting sites.

“The trial is being proposed in response to feedback from residents that there have been longer queues and delays when visiting sites during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Vans take significantly longer to unload and take up more space at recycling centres, resulting in longer wait times for other users.

“Introducing a booking system for these vehicles will help flatten out this usage over a longer period of time. The booking system will also help prevent misuse of sites by commercial vehicles.

“This is a trial, and the booking system will be frequently reviewed to ensure it is working efficiently.”

The other larger sites included in the scheme are Brentwood, Chelmsford, Harlow, Pitsea and Saffron Walden.

Ivan Henderson, leader of the council’s Labour group, said: “My concern at the moment is that if booking is on a digital-only basis, then it will exclude certain residents from engaging with it.

“It’s not clear from the reports how the booking system will work yet.”