Work on the county council's new waste "supersite" is progressing as contractors level the site and start piling work.
Since the closure of the site at the end of May, contractors Balfour Beatty have been busy carrying out extensive earthworks to level the ground and to remove and replace 26,000 tonnes of material that could not be reused due to contamination.
Piling work is now underway to create the split-level design for the new facility. The works remain on schedule with the new site due to open in the summer of 2020.
Terry Hone, Cabinet Member for Waste Management, said: "We’re very pleased with the progress on site, and excited to see the new supersite starting to take shape. I hope residents will bear with us while we carry out the improvement works. I know it’s a long time for the site to be closed, but with over 100,000 new homes due to be built in Hertfordshire in the next 15 years, it’s vital that we upgrade our facilities to cope. I’m sure when the site reopens everyone will agree it will have been worth it, as it will be considerably larger, and a much better experience all round, which has to be a good thing for residents."
The new Ware site, which will be four times the size of the original recycling centre, has been designed to handle up to 300,000 visits a year and up to 10,000 tonnes of waste a year and will feature a purpose built reuse centre.