Following backlash to a planned booking system for visiting Essex County Council's recycling centres, Uttlesford councillors have set up a survey for affected residents to express their views.
Last week Essex County Council announced that from Monday, March 13, residents visiting county council-run recycling centres, such as the one in Saffron Walden, will need to book in advance.
A booking system will be trialled to help manage waiting times and reduce congestion, but Saffron Walden residents argued that they have never had to queue, and that the plan would be inconvenient and increase fly-tipping.
Cllr Paul Gadd, R4U county councillor for Saffron Walden, said "there isn't a congestion problem" at the town's recycling centre.
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He said: "I’ve had more complaints about this proposal than anything else except for the poor state of our roads.
"I’ve also obtained a copy of the ECC Cabinet briefing paper behind the decision; it says that the trial system that ECC conducted last year led to a 13 per cent reduction in recycling.
"Not only does this go against ECC’s legal duty to optimise recycling but it also raises the question of where does that 13 per cent go?
"Is it fly-tipped, put on bonfires, dumped in black bins, or left on the kerb for district councils to collect at their own expense? It seems clear that saving themselves money is a key motivation for them.
"We know that the county council is in financial trouble, but this is unacceptable because all it will do is lead to more litter in our countryside and push costs onto district and parish councils."
Cllr Malcolm Buckley, ECC cabinet member for waste reduction and recycling, said that the booking system trials in other areas had been well-received by residents.
He said: "The sites have been less congested, and we’ve been able to reduce the misuse of sites by vehicles carrying commercial waste."
Along with fellow R4U county councillor Martin Foley, Cllr Gadd has set up a survey for residents to share their views, which will be collated and presented to the county council.
To complete the survey go to www.residents4u.org/eccsurvey.
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