Elstree recycling centre on Allum Lane is open 9am to 4.30pm and shut Tuesdays and Wednesdays. You now need a free ePass. Potters Bar and Garston hours too.
The tip for Borehamwood is Elstree Recycling Centre on Allum Lane, and it is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. On the other five days it opens 9am to 4.30pm. Since the county brought in ePasses, you also need to register your car before you go (Hertfordshire County Council, Elstree recycling centre).
The quick answer
- Elstree: 9am to 4.30pm, closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Radnor Hall, Allum Lane, Elstree WD6 3NN.
- You need a free ePass. No booking, but the car must be registered; staff can sign you up on site if you bring proof of address.
- Christmas: shut on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day only. Every other bank holiday it opens as normal.
Opening times at the three nearest centres
| Centre | Open | Closed | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elstree, Allum Lane WD6 3NN | Mon, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun | Tue, Wed | 9am to 4.30pm |
| Potters Bar, Cranborne Road EN6 3JE | Mon, Tue, Wed, Sat, Sun | Thu, Fri | 10am to 5.30pm |
| Waterdale (Garston), St Albans Road WD25 0PR | Every day | None | 10am to 5.30pm |
The closed days are staggered. On a Tuesday or Wednesday, when Elstree is shut, Potters Bar and Waterdale are both open. On a Thursday or Friday, when Potters Bar is shut, Elstree and Waterdale are open (Potters Bar, Waterdale). Waterdale, near Garston, is the only one of the three open seven days a week and is the easiest from Bushey.
Christmas and New Year
All three centres say the same thing: they are open on every bank holiday except Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. This year those fall on Friday 25 December, Monday 28 December (the substitute Boxing Day bank holiday) and Friday 1 January 2027 (GOV.UK bank holidays).
The council’s wording names Boxing Day rather than the bank holiday, and in 2026 Boxing Day itself is a Saturday. Neither page says whether Saturday 26 or Monday 28 December is the closed day, so check the centre’s page in December before you load the car.
Christmas week is the busiest time of year at the tips. The county’s own advice is to avoid school and bank holidays, sort your waste before you arrive, and watch the queue camera on each centre’s page.
The ePass: what changed
Hertfordshire residents “now need an ePass to visit recycling centres”. It is free and the council says it is available instantly after you apply. There is no booking and no limit on car visits. Cameras read your number plate, so you do not need to print or show anything (Hertfordshire County Council, recycling centre ePasses).
- A household can hold up to three ePasses: three for cars, or two for cars and one for a van or trailer.
- If you turn up without one, staff will register you there and then only if you have proof of address with you. Otherwise you will be sent away.
- Hire cars can be registered too; the ePass lasts seven days. A hired van or trailer is limited to three visits per ePass and four ePasses in a year.
- Proof of address means a driving licence, council tax bill, Hertfordshire bus pass or utility bill, according to each centre’s page.
DIY waste and what it costs
The free allowance for household DIY waste is two 50-litre rubble bags or one bulky item such as a bath, door or fence panel. You can bring up to four weeks’ allowance in one trip, then nothing more for four weeks. The ePass now tracks this across every site (Hertfordshire County Council, DIY waste).
Over the allowance you can pay by card on site:
| Material | Up to 100 litres | Large single item |
|---|---|---|
| Rubble, soil, tiles, wood, doors, worktops, rigid plastic | £10 | £10 |
| Plasterboard | £12 | £12 |
| Bagged loft insulation, fibreglass baths, window frames | £14 | £14 |
Waste left by a builder or from any paid work is trade waste and is not accepted. Business waste is not taken at Elstree, Potters Bar or Waterdale at all.
Related pages
Your normal rota and the four Hertsmere bins are on our Borehamwood bin collection days page, and the Christmas changes are on Borehamwood Christmas bin collections. If you are driving to Allum Lane, check Borehamwood roadworks first.
Still to be confirmed
- Which day the centres close for Boxing Day in 2026 (Saturday 26 or Monday 28 December). We will check in December.
Sources: Hertfordshire County Council recycling centre pages for Elstree, Potters Bar and Waterdale, its ePass and DIY waste pages; GOV.UK bank holidays. Checked 25 September 2026.
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