Hertfordshire County Council has completed a £24 million waste transfer station in Ware, built to handle up to 140,000 tonnes of waste per year.

The Eastern Transfer Station is now operational, sitting behind the existing Ware Recycling Centre and next to the former Biffa landfill site. Hertfordshire County Council commissioned the facility to expand waste management capacity across the county, and the 1.4-hectare site now carries a main transfer building, a second smaller building and new office space.

Throughput and processing capability

The station receives kerbside waste and recycling materials from surrounding areas. A shredder rated at 15 tonnes per hour will support early delivery of the council's target to send zero waste to landfill by 2030 — a commitment now anchored to a physical asset with defined throughput.

The facility also cuts logistics emissions. By consolidating material locally, it will prevent hundreds of dust cart journeys across the county to Watford each year, according to the council.

Councillor Paul Zukowskyj, Executive Member for Environment, Transport and Growth at Hertfordshire County Council, said: "The opening of the Eastern Transfer Station is a critical step forward for efficient waste management in Hertfordshire."

"This modern facility will help ensure we can continue delivering efficient waste management services across the county," he said. "It will assist in reducing the environmental impacts of managing waste while helping us prepare for future demand."

Site infrastructure

The plant carries the full complement of operational infrastructure: a weighbridge and gatehouse area for monitoring incoming and outgoing vehicles, an odour and dust suppression system, fire water retention tanks, and a pumping station serving the sprinkler systems and water cannons. Those systems reflect the fire-safety and emissions-control standards now expected of enclosed transfer infrastructure in the UK.

Pick Everard delivered the project. Matthew Griffiths, senior project manager at Pick Everard, said: "The eastern waste transfer station will support the council's aim to cut the number of waste journeys across the county, reduce carbon emissions and improve how waste is managed day-to-day."

Built capacity, tracked commitment

The Ware commissioning separates built capacity from pledge. Hertfordshire's 2030 zero-waste-to-landfill target now has a 140,000-tonne-per-year facility behind it, with a 15-tonne-per-hour shredder to densify material before onward movement. The operational question shifts to throughput performance: how much of the county's arisings the station can actually divert from the Watford haulage route and from residual disposal.

The milestone to watch is the 2030 landfill-diversion deadline — and whether the council reports tonnage through the Ware weighbridge against that trajectory.