Work to build a £11million waste shredding facility near Watford has officially got underway.

A ground-breaking event was held at the site next to Waterdale Recycling Centre, Garston, on Friday, July 26, to mark the start of construction.

The project is expected to be finished by early 2025, after which the “state-of-the-art” infrastructure will be able to shred around 30,000 tonnes of waste a year.

Construction underway at the Waterdale shredding facility.Construction underway at the Waterdale shredding facility. (Image: Hertfordshire County Council)

This will allow the county council to deal with bulkier waste and incinerate more rubbish at energy recovery facilities rather than sending it to landfill, as part of the council’s plan to send no waste to landfill by 2030. Shredding will also make transporting the same volume more efficient.

Hertfordshire County Council leader Richard Roberts said: “It was brilliant to be at the Waterdale Shredding Facility ground-breaking event, this is a critical infrastructure project for the county which reflects our vision for a cleaner, greener, healthier Hertfordshire."

He added: “The design of the new building allows us to meet the needs of modern-day waste management in a more sustainable way.

“We’ve committed £23m to improvements at Waterdale to the transfer station and the new shredding facility and £50m overall on waste-related projects across the county.”

Cllrs Richard Roberts and Eric Buckmaster at the Waterdale shredding facility ground-breaking. (Image: Hertfordshire County Council)

The council has promised that odour, dust, and noise reduction features will be included to minimise the impact on the Garston area, where residents have complained of dust and noise from the PB Donoghue waste management site in the Colne Way Industrial Estate.

Hertfordshire County Council approved an expansion for that site which allowed it to increase its capacity from 75,000 to 2000,000 tonnes each year, in 2023.

Meriden resident Ami Mulkerrin, who lives one street over from Colne Way Industrial Estate, shared a photo of her garden table covered in dust earlier this month.Meriden resident Ami Mulkerrin, who lives one street over from Colne Way Industrial Estate, shared a photo of her garden table covered in dust earlier this month. (Image: Amie Mulkerrin)

Earlier this month, nearby Garston families told the Watford Observer how dust covered parts of their homes, forcing some to keep windows shut.

Concerns were also raised over potential impacts on young children and those with breathing conditions.

PB Donoghue managing director Peter Donoghue said he was aware of the issues.

He added that parts for its large dust suppression machine had been “stuck in customs” but would be brought into use.