Recycling centres

What can I recycle?

Not sure if you can recycle an item, or don't know what to do with it? Use WasteAware's A to Z checking tool to find out.

Use the A to Z recycling tool

Donate your items

It is always better to give your items to someone else to use rather than recycling or disposing of them. There are plenty of ways to do this, either by giving them away for a small price or free of charge on sites such as eBay, Freegle, Freecycle, Gumtree or various online market place groups. 

If you have good-quality items to donate, such as furniture, local charity shops are happy to accept these. Many charities, such as British Heart Foundation, DEBRA or Emmaus, offer a free collection service.

Dacorum Zero Waste Map

We have collated all the places in Dacorum that help you to reduce, reuse and recycle in one handy map. Find recycling centres and recycling drop-off points, zero waste shops, second-hand shops, community fridges, repair cafes, reusable nappy libraries and many more places to help you reduce waste. Refill stations, where you can refill water bottles, dry food products and household cleaning essentials, can be discovered using the Refill app.

We will regularly update the map and are happy to receive suggestions if you know of any other locations. Please email us on recycle@dacorum.gov.uk.

Click the icon on the black bar in the top left hand corner to view the symbol key.

Recycling Centres

Recycling Centres are for household waste and are provided by Hertfordshire County Council.

You can visit these Recycling Centres if you pay your Council Tax to Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex or Central Bedfordshire councils.

Please bring proof of address (for example, driving licence, Council Tax bill, Hertfordshire bus pass or a utility bill).

For more on location, opening times, what materials are accepted and how busy they currently are, click on the links below:

• Berkhamsted Recycling Centre
• Hemel Hempstead Recycling Centre
• Harpenden Recycling Centre
• St Albans Recycling Centre
• Waterdale (Garston) Recycling Centre

Please note: Business waste is not accepted and there are limits on DIY/home improvement waste. If you are using a van to bring household waste to a recycling centre you will need a van permit. 

Neighbourhood recycling sites

There are 23 neighbourhood recycling sites across the borough where you can recycle a range of different materials.

Take a look to see which collection banks are near you and what materials they accept:

There are five small domestic appliance (SDA) collection banks spread across the borough for your unwanted electricals.

The majority of these neighbourhood recycling sites have a collection bank for clothes and other textiles. 

Dry, mixed recyclable items, which would typically go into the blue-lidded bin, can also be collected at designated neighbourhood recycling sites.

A wider variety of materials can be taken to the Recycling Centres run by Hertfordshire County Council (see above).

You must put your recycling items in the containers provided. Do not leave any bags or boxes of recycling, or any other items outside the recycling containers as this is considered  fly-tipping and you could be issued with a fixed penalty notice.

Where else can I take my recycling?

Retail outlets often provide recycling collection points for certain materials they sell, such as batteries, carrier bags and water filters. To check where you can recycle a certain item, use the Recycle Now Local Recycling tool, which provides information on your nearest recycling collection points for a range of different items.

Many supermarkets now offer soft plastic recycling points where you can recycle items such as plastic bags (if they can't be reused), salad bags, sweet wrappers, crisp packets and film lids. Please note: crisp packets can no longer be recycled at The Forum.

Waste electrical equipment, including vapes, can be taken back to many shops across Dacorum for recycling. These locations can be found on the Recycle Your Electricals website. 

Visit our Dacorum Zero Waste Map (see above) for all recycling drop-off points in the borough, as well as many other businesses, charities and organisations that help us reduce waste.