T!POFF CONTROLLING ILLEGAL TRADE TIPPING

An innovative new management software system, T!POFF, will be showcased at RWM 2004 to help recycling and civic amenity site waste managers control and reduce illegal tipping by commercial traders and thereby reduce waste disposal costs.

T!POFF is a management software system that incorporates automatic number plate reading technology that simply identifies frequent users of free household tipping facilities. On screen computer alerts in the gatehouse and pagers notify onsite staff to investigate suspect vehicles.

Once investigated staff are able to redirect trade waste to the weigh bridge or voucher permit schemes and record additional details on the system to ensure perpetrators are identified on future visits.

T!POFF has been developed by security surveillance specialist Essa, based in Saltash, Cornwall. They have been working closely with waste managers at Torbay Council where the system has successfully completed trials at its civic amenity site in Paignton.

Waste cycle service manager Andy Dumont at Torbay Council said, “We have been working closely with Essa over the last few months modifying the system to meet our requirements, T!POFF has already proved that it can help us cut out trader abuse which will reduce our domestic waste total, reduce disposal costs and should even improve our recycling rates.”

In one day alone over 20 alerts were received by on site staff, which resulted in 6 drivers either warned that they had infringed regulations or being redirected to the weigh bridge to pay.

“There are many benefits; T!POFF’s camera is highly visible and acts as a deterrent, It takes most of the hard work out of the data input which is automatic and alerts us to persistent visitors especially van users without delay,” explained Andy Dumont at Torbay Council,

“Identified commercial users must then pay for their disposal, relieving the council tax- payers of that burden. It provides reliable data and is a flexible system, which has been tailored to our needs”.

“The beauty of the software is that it can be adjusted to meet a clients specific needs. Torbay Council has told us their exact reporting requirements and has set their own alert parameters,” commented Essa’s managing director, Jan Fisher.

For further information please contact Essa on 0845 603 0624 or visit their show stand 908 at RWM 2004.

New product will identify trade users of civic amenity sites

Security surveillance specialist Essa is launching an exciting new management software product, ‘Tip-Off’, at this year’s CIWM Exhibition.

Tip-Off is designed specifically to help control and manage illegal tipping at civic amenity sites by identifying regular commercial users of free tipping facilities.

Based around sophisticated automatic number plate reading technology Tip-Off monitors vehicular activity onto the site and analyses the collected data for re-occurring visits. Once a pre-determined threshold of visits has been reached Tip Off alerts the site operators of a suspect vehicle and presents the data on-screen and via an on-site text radio pager.

The sophisticated management software not only stores the vehicle registration number it also includes a captured CCTV image of the vehicle and payload together with time and date of each entry. Additional details of waste type, driver, vehicle etc can also be stored on the system enabling operators to specifically monitor suspect offenders.

Tip-Off has been designed to ease the problems managers experience when attempting to control access to free tipping facilities. The development has been undertaken as a joint initiative between Torbay Council and Essa. Trials and evaluation of the new management software product have been undertaken during April and May at the council’s civic amenity recycling centre in Paignton.

Visits to this site for a practical demonstration can be arranged during the CIWM Exhibition in Paignton by contacting Essa on 0845 603 0624 or by visiting their exhibition stand 501a in the Torbay Park internal exhibition area.