Buckinghamshire County Council shortlisted for national award for paperless waste permit scheme

Zapping the code: Digital waste permits save time and money.

Buckinghamshire County Council has been shortlisted for a national award following the introduction of a digital waste permit scheme.

In Autumn 2016 postal waste permits were phased out and replaced with an innovative digital permit scheme. The new digital permits are projected to save £35,000 per year and remove the need to mail out 18,000 paper permits, which took up to three days to arrive through residents’ letter boxes. The new digital permit scheme is also expected to stop 79 days’ worth of calls to the Council’s contact centre.

The County Council has now been shortlisted in the ‘Best Use of E-Forms’ category at the National Paperless Awards 2017 . The winner announced at on Thursday 6th July 2017 at an awards ceremony being held at the Royal Garden Hotel, Kensington, London.

The digital permits waste were the first in the country to make innovative use of QR codes. Using the new digital system residents now instantly receive their permit via email and can present it on their smart phone to waste site staff, who simply scan the QR code.

Bill Chapple OBE, Cabinet Member for Planning and Environment at Buckinghamshire County Council.

Bill Chapple OBE (pictured above), Cabinet Member for Planning and Environment, said: ‘The digital permits are a triple win – saving money, saving paper and saving our residents’ time.

I am pleased to say that we’re on our way to eliminating the 54,000 days per a year residents used to spend waiting for their paper permits – and saving on paper makes good financial and environmental sense.‘

Most people using a waste centre won’t require a permit, which is needed only if using a commercial vehicle, visiting on foot, disposing of asbestos or using a vehicle with a trailer larger than 1.2 x 0.9m.

To apply for a digital waste permit visit https://www.buckscc.gov.uk/services/waste-and-recycling/waste-permit-scheme/apply-for-a-waste-permit/.