The new Liberal Democrat administration in charge of Hertfordshire County Council confirmed they will not proceed with plans to reduce opening hours at four recycling centres in Hertfordshire nor will they go ahead with the introduction of a demand management booking system across the county.

Cllr Paul Zukowskyj, Executive Member for Environment, Growth and Transport, announced that the council would look at new ways to make savings rather than going ahead with the planned proposals put forwards by the previous administration, to reduce the number of opening days from seven to five at Stevenage, Ware, Waterdale and Welwyn Garden City.

Cllr Zukowskyj said: "Recycling centres are well used and important to our residents, and there's no doubt that a service like this supports our ambition to make our environment greener. That's why we've made the decision to scrap the plans for reducing opening days at the four sites that are currently open every day.

"We also know that when doing a DIY project or clearing garden waste, you don't always know how long the job will last, so planning a time to take waste to the recycling centre or donate items to be sold in our Reuse shops just isn't practical. That's why we've halted proposals for a booking system too and will be looking at alternative options which we'll share with our residents in due course."

The initial proposal to introduce a demand management booking system and reduce opening days was put forward during the Full Council Budget meeting on 25 February this year.

Waste chiefs in Hertfordshire will now go back to the drawing board to look for alternative cost-cutting options.

A number of neighbouring councils do already ask residents – particularly those with vans – to book a slot before arriving at a household recycling centre.

And according to the council's 2025/26 budget, the introduction of a booking system – alongside a reduction in opening hours at four recycling centres – could have cut annual costs in Hertfordshire by more than £250k.

But at a meeting of the council's environment, transport and growth cabinet panel on Tuesday (June 10) councillors unanimously recommended that the council should not go ahead with the existing plans, that would have required a period of public consultation.

Those plans would have reduced opening hours at recycling centres in Stevenage, Ware, Waterdale and Welwyn Garden City from seven to five days a week.

During the meeting former executive member for the environment Conservative Cllr Eric Buckmaster suggested that the county's network of recycling centres were "attractive to the cross-border importing of waste".

As well as focussing on the need to ensure staff safety he suggested there was a need to reduce the amount of waste brought into the county, "that our residents shouldn't be paying for".

And – pointing to past incidents where toxic materials had been brought in to the county – he said it was important to be in control of what was coming in.

Meanwhile Liberal Democrat Cllr Stuart Roberts also highlighted the "inequality" of Hertfordshire residents funding a service that others were benefiting from.

Hertfordshire County Council does already have a policy that restricts access to its recycling centres to Hertfordshire residents , with reciprocal agreements with Essex and Cambridgeshire. 

Following the meeting council officers will draw up a number of cost-cutting proposals. And the Local Democracy Reporting Service understands that alternative suggestions could be finalised within weeks.