Plans revealed for CCTV monitoring plans at recycling centres across Lancashire

Specialist CCTV cameras are to be installed at Lancashire County Council’s household waste recycling centres to ensure businesses are not also using the facilities to dump their rubbish.

Automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) kit will be introduced at the authority’s 16 tips to help enforce the rules governing who is permitted to use them.

The free-to-access centres accept domestic waste from residential properties, but not commercially-generated material.

A report presented to a meeting of County Hall’s budget and finance scrutiny committee stated that the cameras will “reduce trade waste misuse and deter vandalism” at the sites – which do not include those run by the standalone Blackpool and Blackburn with Darwen councils.

The county council’s corporate director of finance, Gary Fielding, said the aim was to prevent commercial waste activity being “subsidised by taxpayers” – and also to stop residents from outside Lancashire using the county’s tips. A booking system is already operated for vans and trailers to root out commercial dumping at the county’s HWRCs.

The meeting heard that the cameras were part of a package of measures intended to save £7m from the authority’s waste budget each year via “various technology and operational initiatives” – some of which, like the ANPR systems themselves, will require capital investment before their financial benefits can be realised.

Director of strategy and innovation Will Ivatt said there would also be a focus on the way the facilities were managed, including to address the issue of people tipping “the wrong rubbish” into the wrong containers, mistakes that result in “an ongoing cost” to the authority.

Committee member Aidy Riggott sought “reassurance” that the savings plans would not mean “less help for residents” – and that the county council was “not looking at reducing [the staff] who help with bulky items”.

Mr. Fielding said the changes would not lead to any “diminishing of the support for Lancashire residents”, while Mr. Ivatt stressed that there was no intention of making any “fundamental” shifts such as cutting opening hours or reducing the number of HWRCs.

In a statement issued to the Local Democracy Reporting Service after the meeting, cabinet member for rural affairs, environment and communities Joshua Roberts said: “We are introducing a series of measures to improve recycling rates and reduce contamination at our household waste recycling centres. This means less waste sent for disposal, helping to cut costs and deliver better value for residents.

“The measures include installing ANPR cameras to help identify excessively frequent visits to sites, which in many cases can indicate commercial waste being disposed of inappropriately.

“We are also increasing support for residents on site, with staff providing more active assistance to help people separate materials correctly and ensure waste brought in bags is sorted into the appropriate recycling containers.

“These measures will help us increase recycling, reduce contamination and improve the overall customer experience.”

The committee report – detailing the county council’s overall financial performance in the first quarter of the financial year – said proposals were also being developed to “invest in shredding equipment capable of processing bulky and non-recyclable waste, with the aim of reducing future disposal costs”.

It added: “Other logistical changes are being pursued to simplify the handling of materials and ensure that they are disposed of at the lowest possible cost.”

The authority says the overhaul is expected to “more than mitigate” the current £2.4m forecast overspend by the waste management service in 2026/27 – and ultimately deliver the planned annual savings.