Pre-booked trips to visit the household recycling centre in Newport are likely to be needed "for the foreseeable future", according to leading member of Newport City Council.
A question submitted to the council has revealed that the current system, which means anyone wanting to attend the household recycling centre in Maesglas must pre-book a slot, is likely to remain in place even after the end of the pandemic.
While many have welcomed the booking system, which came into place when the recycling centre reopened last May during the first lockdown, there have occasionally been issues with lack of availability or technical issues preventing the public from booking an appointment.
Submitting a question to Cabinet Member for City Services Cllr Roger Jeavons, Cllr Ray Mogford asked about the future of the centre after the pandemic.
Responding, Cllr Jeavons said that "given the success of the system and the very positive response from the public, it is anticipated that it will remain in place for the foreseeable future."
Citing the fact that similar pre-booking systems had been introduced "in all neighbouring authorities and across most of the country," Cllr Jeavons added that the "new normal will adapt in line with changes to Covid guidance, as these evolve over time."
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Cllr Jeavons said 90,238 bookings for the centre had been made since it reopened last May. He said this had resulted in "enhancing site efficiency to support an increasing recycling rate from 65% to over 90%.
He said the system had enabled longer opening hours and more visitors and that controlling visitors via a booking system had resulted in "many positive outcomes."
"Most fly tipping is carried out by commercial operators, who cannot not use the HWRC and have to dispose of their waste in line with relevant legislation," he added.
