Watford tip opening times: Waterdale, 10am to 5.30pm daily

Watford’s tip is Waterdale Household Waste Recycling Centre on St Albans Road near Garston, and it is open 10am to 5.30pm every day of the week. The nearest alternative, Rickmansworth, keeps the same hours but closes on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. You now need a free ePass to use either.

The quick answer

• Waterdale, WD25 0PR: 10am to 5.30pm, seven days a week.
• Closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. Open on every other bank holiday.
• Every car needs a free ePass, and you need proof of address.

Opening times

Both centres are run by Hertfordshire County Council, not by Watford Borough Council. These hours are from the county’s own pages for Waterdale and Rickmansworth, read on 25 September 2026.

Midweek, Waterdale is the only one of the two that is open.

Christmas and New Year

Both pages say the same thing: “We’re open on all bank holidays except Christmas, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.”

This year the dates fall awkwardly. According to GOV.UK:

• Christmas Day is Friday 25 December: closed
• Boxing Day is Saturday 26 December: closed
• the substitute bank holiday is Monday 28 December: the county’s wording does not say whether this counts as “Boxing Day” for the tip, so check before you drive
• New Year’s Day is Friday 1 January 2027: closed

The county has not published any early closing for Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve. The site pages carry a live queue camera, which is worth checking in the days between Christmas and New Year.

You need an ePass, even in a car

The site pages still carry an older line: “Visiting with a van, trailer or from outside Hertfordshire? You’ll need an ePass.” That reads as if a car does not need one. It does. The county’s ePass page says: “You must have an ePass to visit any Hertfordshire recycling centre.”

• It is free, and available as soon as you apply
• There is no booking and no limit on car visits
• Nothing to print or display: ANPR cameras read your number plate
• A household can hold up to three: three cars, or two cars and one van or trailer
• Turn up without one and staff will register you on the spot, but only if you have proof of address

Proof of address can be a driving licence, council tax bill, Hertfordshire bus pass or utility bill. You must pay your council tax to a Hertfordshire council to use the centres.

What you cannot bring, and DIY limits

• Business waste is not accepted at either centre
• DIY waste is limited. The county’s DIY waste rules allow two 50-litre rubble bags or one bulky item such as a bath, per week, and you can bring up to four weeks’ allowance in one visit
• Extra DIY waste can now be paid for: £10 per 100 litres of rubble, £12 for plasterboard, £14 for bagged loft insulation

Waterdale also has a reuse shop for unwanted items in good condition.

Faster than the tip

Some things do not need a trip at all. Watford Borough Council collects bulky items from £57 and garden waste by subscription, and recycling is unlimited in bags beside your blue bin. Prices are on our Watford bin collection days page, and the festive collection changes are on Watford Christmas bin collections.

Batteries and vapes should never go in a bin. Take them to either recycling centre.