Letter: Tip booking system on New Forest one of the better changes in my 86 years

I can’t understand why John Rees MBA finds the system whereby appointments are made to use household waste and recycling centres so pointless (Letters 12th Apr). I have always found the booking system easy to use, taking a few minutes only, and I am left knowing precisely when the tip is available to receive me and my rubbish.

Mr Rees says he finds the need to book ‘inconvenient’. Having made a booking I now know that a trip to the tip will take a matter of minutes (road works getting there and back notwithstanding) whereas in the old days I used to front up not knowing whether I would be there for 30 minutes or hanging around for three hours, meaning that planning the rest of my day was impossible. From my point of view, and I suspect for many others, that’s inconvenient.

Not sure why Mr Rees doesn’t like going to the tip in the rain. To me it’s one of the few undertakings that may be accomplished profitably in inclement weather, allowing more productive use of the few fine days we have had of late.

For the record I am in my 86th year and have seen changes aplenty, including those initiated by Covid. Granted not all have proved successful in the longer term but the introduction of waste disposal and recycling centre booking has been one of them. I hope the negative responses of those who are unable to accept this particular change does not lead to its demise.

Gordon Pound
Everton