Household Waste Recycling Centre, Barkers Lane - Bedford

Timileyin A

Honestly my experience couldn't have been better. The staff were super helpful and kind and answered my questions. Someone saw me struggling and immediately came to help me lift heavy items out of my car and even offered to sort through the different materials after I'd left and told me I could get on with my day. Also it was nowhere near as busy as I feared, I was in and out!

Alexander Ingram

ATTENTION TO THE MANAGEMENT

I never thought I’d find myself writing a review, let alone about a council tip site. Here I am, at 25, life is hitting me like a train.

I’d like to say as someone who’s moved up and down the country I’m well grounded in what is a good council tip and what is a bad one. Many weekends I have found myself disposing of my household waste from clear outs. Yes I’m young, but I’m doing bits which means in my short time gracing this earth I’m out here travelling the country and moving about and making moves you wish your grandson was. Including writing reviews about tips to gain recognition for its staff.

Let me start by saying the boring. The tip was clean, well managed, well divided to meet all my waste disposal needs. Not only that, incredibly accessible. My past tip experiences involve unmanageable stairs, awkward traffic. This tip doesn’t. Well done.

What made my experience 5 stars. The crème del la crème. What I want management to review and understand is this tip is good. But nothing without its staff. The staff made my experience excellent. Every single staff I interacted with were warm and friendly. Not only friendly but also helpful. Genuinely interested in helping to see an efficient and smooth running of the site. I’m blown away. I’ve seen my taxes be wasted on poor services and wastage by most council services. This ‘waste management site’ was the epitome of my council tax being well spent to provide an excellent service.

I know this review seems so disproportionate. Ultimately this is a place that’s focus isn’t necessarily on customer service. However the staff made a soulless place feel warm and friendly and their willingness to help blew me away. Hell, there’s signs, I know what I’m doing, I’m able bodied, why bother? But they did, they cared.

This is not credit to senior management, this is credit to the staff on the ground. From supervisors to attendees alike. I hope in some weird way senior management oversee reviews so they can see this one and recognise all the staff onsite on this day I attended. It’s not easy being out in all weathers managing waste. The staff here do exactly that, with a smile on their face. All power to them.

Well done, excellent. Makes me happy to see my council tax money being spent on providing a service for the people, led by people.

Kind regards,
A 25y/o writing a review of a waste management site because he’s experienced too many tips where he’s been received by bad attitudes.

DMC

It's passed 2 years after I dropped my negative review. I would say that things have changed and actually improved as they've taken the bins without being partial and hope it continues that way.

Debbs Hughes

I don't know what staff training the staff have down there but they need training how to speak to public/customers and show some respect. Bet they wouldn't talk to a bloke this way or they may have got more than they bargained for. Next time it will be videod if they talk like that again.
Some like to sit down not do much.

Donnie Canning

As usual on a Friday I turn up with loads of cans and plastic bottles, but because their recycling bins are overflowing I have to put them in with the general rubbish. Not very green at all that!

Rob Doolan

Most staff are helpful, there's a gent mentioned in other reviews who makes you feel like a criminal for using the service, even when you are following the extremely restrictive rules.

Alan T

Total waste of time this Sunday,when most of the bays were full up,not emptied and curtained off,I had to bring my rubbish back home!

SLR V50

Generally a well run site with limited waiting times and a good selection of skips to be able to dispose of a wide range of things. Sometimes the staff get a bit funny about disposing of lots of one thing, such as soil which can be annoying. Other places such as St Neots have no limits.