A NEW payment system will be trialled next month at Chard Recycling Centre in a bid to boost safety and security for staff.
The centre, on Beechling Close, will be going cash-free during February and will only accept payments on debit and credit cards Security and safety of staff has been cited as the reasons for the trial, as Chard takes a wide variety of charged-for materials, with waste levels rising year-on-year.
Payments will be accepted on Visa and MasterCard credit and debit cards, Visa Electron and Diner’s Club, including contactless cards.
A Somerset Waste Partnership spokesman said: “As the rest of the world goes cash-free, we need to see if this might work for payments at recycling sites, with Chard the testbed.”
Chard Recycling Centre was chosen as the trial site as the staff are experienced in handling payments on plastic and the current level of transactions is manageable.
After the trial from 1 to 29 February 1 to 29, the results will be considered by the councillors on Somerset Waste Board before any decision is taken about whether to extend it to other sites in future.
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