Warwickshire County Council (WCC) has announced the immediate suspension of all fridge and freezer collections at Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) across the county.
This suspension applies to all residents and businesses.
There is a national crisis in fridge and freezer recycling capacity and insufficient suitable space to temporarily store the number of fridges and freezers being discarded. This is because UK recycling capacity has tightened significantly due to facility fires and plant closures.
The difficult decision has been forced by the worsening national crisis in the processing of fridges and freezers. A severe shortage of specialist treatment capacity across the UK has meant that local authorities can no longer safely store or process the backlog of cooling appliances.
Warwickshire is not alone in taking this step. Numerous waste disposal authorities across England - including Nottinghamshire County Council - have been forced to implement similar suspensions this week as the national system reaches full capacity.
What this means for Warwickshire:
Residents: Cannot bring fridges, freezers, or other cooling appliances to any Warwickshire HWRC. Any resident arriving with these items will unfortunately be turned away. Residents should check if they can give their fridge or freezer to the retailer when they purchase a new one as retailers have obligations to take back electrical items.
Businesses: Commercial deliveries of fridges and freezers are suspended.
District and Borough Councils: Public collections already booked via your local District or Borough Councils will be honoured wherever possible. Residents are advised to check directly with their local District or Borough Council regarding the status of the future collection of fridges and freezers.
Cllr Darren Cheshire, Warwickshire County Council's Portfolio Holder for Environment, Heritage and Culture, said: "We had hoped to avoid this scenario through our temporary storage and contingency measures, but the national processing network has simply reached its absolute limit. With no clear end in sight to the processing crisis, we have been left with no choice but to suspend the acceptance of all fridges and freezers at our HWRCs with immediate effect.
"We know this is incredibly frustrating for our residents, local businesses, and our District and Borough Council partners. However, this is an escalating nationwide infrastructure issue - as we are seeing with Nottinghamshire and Many other authorities taking the exact same emergency steps this week.
"Please do not bring these appliances to our recycling centres, as our staff will have to turn you away. We urgently ask residents to keep hold of their old appliances for the time being or explore retailer take-back or repair and reuse options if appropriate. We are continuing to press the Government and industry partners for a national resolution and will reinstate our collection services as soon as it is viable to do so."
Advice for Residents
While the suspension is in place, WCC is issuing the following guidance:
Do not travel to an HWRC with a fridge or freezer: They will not be accepted under any circumstances while the suspension is active.
Store safely at home: If you have already replaced an appliance, please store the old unit safely at your property until national capacity improves.
Retailer take-back schemes: If you are purchasing a new fridge or freezer, check if the retailer offers a "take-back" service to remove your old appliance. Under the UK WEEE Regulations, distributors and retailers have obligations to offer take-back facilities and services.
Consider repair: Spare parts such as drawers and seals are easy to source online and replace yourself. For mechanical issues, consider a local appliance repair company.
Reuse: if your unwanted item is still in working order, a good way to give it a new home and a second life is to list it on Freegle, Freecycle, Facebook Marketplace or Nextdoor.
Beware of rogue waste collectors: Only use licensed waste carriers to dispose of any type of waste. Also get a record of where they say they will be taking your waste for disposal and keep hold of your receipt. Handing appliances over to unlicensed "man with a van" operators often leads to fly-tipping, which remains a criminal offence. Residents can be held liable if their dumped appliance is traced back to them.
Warwickshire County Council will continue to monitor the national situation daily and will issue further updates to residents and partners as soon as the processing backlog clears.
Find your local HWRC: https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/directory/9/recycling-centres/category/159
Residents can Follow Warwickshire Recycles on social media for daily tips:
- On Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/warwickshire_recycles/
- On Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/warwickshirerecycles