Cutting edge technology being used by Logan City Council in South East Queensland has made a trip to the tip so much easier for customers.
Council has implemented automated vehicle entry and exit recording to reduce queuing times and petrol consumption at the popular Browns Plains Waste and Recycling (BPWR) Facility.
Cameras record the licence plates of cars and trucks that enter the facility via the weighbridge and retain the information to speed up processing times.
Although licence plate recognition isn’t new, its use in a waste management setting is relatively untried and was brought about due to the popularity of the BPWR and the Logan Recycling Market, which is one of the biggest in Australia.
Health, Environment and Sustainability committee chairperson Councillor Lisa Bradley said on a busy day more than 1000 people visit the site.
On public holidays and weekends waits of up to 45 minutes have been recorded and it was a major source of complaints to Council.
In some cases weighbridge staff bore the brunt of customers’ frustrations.
“The popularity of the Browns Plains Waste and Recycling Facility has been great to see but it has come at a cost with some customers becoming frustrated with having to queue for long periods.
“The installation of licence plate recognition has noticeably cut queues for customers bringing in general waste and recycling and improved business efficiency.
“It has also provided a blueprint for management at other heavily trafficked sites.”
In addition Logan City Council introduced an unattended ‘authorised vehicle’ lane that uses a ‘dallas-tag’ swipe card to allow frequent customers unrestricted access.
Boom gates at the site that don’t lift until a transaction is completed have also cracked down on customers leaving without paying, saving council hundreds of dollars a month in revenue.
