A survey has revealed near 100 per cent opposition to Essex County Council's new system requiring people to book to use the council's recycling centres, including Saffron Walden.
Residents for Uttlesford (R4U) says that with more than 2,200 responses to the survey they now have a mandate to challenge the proposals.
Cllr Paul Gadd, Essex county councillor for Saffron Walden, said: "With well over 2,200 responses, Uttlesford residents have spoken and an overwhelming more than 99 per cent think that ECC's 'book-to-bin' proposals should themselves be binned.
"This gives us the big evidence-backed mandate to challenge this flawed plan by the Conservative administration at ECC. We thank every single resident who has responded.
"Anyone who still wants to respond to the survey, can do so at www.residents4u.org/eccsurvey."
Essex county councillor for Thaxted Martin Foley said: "It is clear that this is all about saving money at the financially troubled county council."
More than 1,600 residents also submitted comments, some of which described the plan as "unnecessary" and "ridiculous".
They reported that queues are not currently a problem at Essex recycling centres, including Saffron Walden, Braintree, Chelmsford and Harlow.
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Saffron Walden Liberal Democrats also held their own petition in opposition to the proposals.
On Saturday (February 11) Lib Dem volunteers handed out leaflets in the town centre asking residents who are angry about the plans to email Cllr Malcolm Buckley, Essex County Council member for waste and recycling.
Simon Ede, spokesman for the Lib Dem focus team, said: "Many shoppers said they were glad to see us back and campaigning on their behalf.
"People are very angry about the Conservatives’ decision to bring in a booking system for visits to the Recycling Centre on Thaxted Road.
"If you missed us in the Market Square on Saturday you can still add your signature online at uttlesfordlibdems.org.uk/en/."
The Lib Dems echo R4U's belief that the booking system will increase fly-tipping and reduce recycling, and believed it was a cost-saving measure by the Conservatives.
Cllr Malcolm Buckley said: "ECC is not 'financially troubled, we are simply making sensible choices during challenging economic circumstances as all councils, including Uttlesford, are.
"However, the representation of the booking system as a cost saving measure is wrong. We are implementing this trial to see if doing things differently can ease peak congestion within the recycling centre network, and prevent the service being accessed by those not entitled to use it.
"We are not reducing recycling, or making the service harder to use, or restricting access.
"Recycling rates in Essex continue to remain higher than the national average and the trial is not looking to reduce the number of vehicles using our centres.
"The trial will see if small operational changes can enable us to ensure residents can access sites across the county, as they always have, but do so without unnecessary queueing.
"Residents will be consulted on their trial experience and be able to provide feedback once the trial is in operation.
"This will be considered before any decision is taken on whether to permanently adopt a booking system."
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