At Swindon Borough Council, the waste and recycling team have seen it all. From the days of chaotic queues at the tip and frustrated residents, to a streamlined, accessible and fully digital experience that local residents now describe as a “godsend”. At the heart of that transformation? Jadu Connect.
At the recent ‘Transforming Swindon: A look back, and forward, at digital innovation’ event, Christabel Banks-Coffey, Principal Waste Manager at Swindon Borough Council, took the attendees on a journey through a decade-long transformation.
A look back
For years, Swindon’s household waste recycling centre operated on a 'come-as-you-please' basis, with no appointment required. One road in, one road out and thousands of residents trying to access it.
It was, as one Christabel put it, “Chaos.”
Long queues, angry residents and even threats from nearby businesses became part of the team's everyday life. Locals were frustrated, staff bore the brunt of that frustration, and the environmental effect of idle engines and wasted journeys didn’t help. Then, the COVID-19 pandemic occurred, marking a turning point.
A time for change
When pandemic restrictions forced the waste and recycling site to temporarily close, Swindon Borough Council saw an opportunity to rebuild the service, with a focus on efficiency, user experience and safety. Partnering with Jadu, they designed a digital household waste recycling centres (HWRC) booking system in Jadu Connect - one that would fundamentally change how the service operated.
The new system allows residents who want to use the tip to book a specific time slot online, receive a QR code, and arrive knowing they’ll be in and out in minutes. No long queues. No frustration. No chaos.
How Jadu helped
Building the solution in Jadu Connect gave the Swindon team the flexibility and scalability they needed. The system now handles over 23,000 bookings each month, adapting to demand whilst still ensuring daily operations run smoothly and efficiently.
Through a single, integrated platform (Jadu Connect), the team could:
- Actively manage HWRC capacity, which resulted in reduced waiting times
- Automate communication with residents before, during and after their visit
- Improve accessibility and inclusion by improving parking and service design for all users
- Gather genuine feedback from residents, demonstrating the impact of digital design
A vision for the future
The waste and recycling team found that Jadu Connect not only addressed an operational issue but also established a sustainable, people-focused service that has become one of Swindon's most-used digital services. This success demonstrates how effective design and intelligent technology can transform a crisis into positive, long-lasting change.
As the service lead put it: “We’ve moved our traffic from the road onto the website, and from chaos to calm.”
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