Case Study: Swindon Borough Council transforms waste management with Methods

Swindon Borough Council cuts HWRC entry from 4-5 hours to 15 minutes with Methods

Swindon Borough Council faced the challenge of managing its Household Waste Recycling Centre during COVID-19 without relying on costly additional resources, while also ensuring any changes to the highly emotive waste service would not negatively impact residents. To address this, the council partnered with vendor Methods to implement an automated QR code system.

Methods developed a solution where residents book online and receive a QR code for entry. This system, integrated with hardware from partners, validated bookings and automated the barrier entry process. The results for Swindon Borough Council were transformative: entry times dropped from hours to just 15 minutes, saving 217 hours of manager time annually and creating 25% more booking slots. The project had a 6-month payback period and significantly improved the customer experience, with 98.5% of residents rating their overall visit as good or very good.

Swindon Borough Council