A poll conducted by Weston Independent News with over 1000 responses has found that 78% of respondents when asked the question; “Do you approve of North Somerset’s Council decision to introduce a booking system at Weston Recycling Centre”, with a “No”.

A total of 1073 people responded to the poll with 186 votes (18%) answering “Yes”, 836 votes (78%) answered “No” and 51 votes (4%) were undecided.

The changes to the way residents can attend the recycling centre in Weston-super-Mare have been controversial, with many people being vocal about the practicalities of being able to book.

Local resident Steph Marshall said;

“Awful, when summer hits, we generally do blitz the garden a few times and have a few car loads. We don’t know what time the car will be full. We don’t know how much we will get done. We don’t always plan to do it, just get up and make a last min decision”

There are also concerns over cost, local resident Nick Hill said;

“It’s solving a problem that doesn’t exist, except for a few peak times of the year. It’s yet another inventive way for our apparently cash strapped council to waste taxpayers money. I wonder how much this system is costing us all?”

However many people were also positive about the changes.

Mike Roberts said; “Been twice easy to book and no queues” and Mark Bradshaw said; “Booked twice, takes seconds. Straight in, no queue, about 10 cars there unloading. Zero complaints”

A North Somerset Council spokesperson said:

"Feedback from residents who have used the booking system has been very encouraging so far. People tell us the process is quick and easy, and they especially value the fact that there are no queues when they arrive.

"Our staff have seen real benefits too - with visits spread more evenly throughout the day, they have more time to support residents safely on site.

"We’ll continue listening, monitoring and refining the system to make sure it works well for everyone. To ensure we gather robust and meaningful insight, we will shortly be carrying out a survey that specifically targets residents who have used the booking system, so their direct experience can inform future improvements."