Council suspends fridge and freezer collections at Warwickshire tips
Warwickshire County Council (WCC) has immediately suspended all fridge and freezer collections at its tips across the county.
This suspension, which applies to all residents and businesses, has been put in place at the county’s Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRC) due to “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 council said Warwickshire is not alone in taking this step as several waste disposal authorities across England 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 be turned away and commercial deliveries of fridges and freezers have also been suspended.
Public collections already booked via district or borough councils will be honoured wherever possible.
Residents are advised to check directly with their local 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 has issued 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 until national capacity improves.
- Retailer take-back schemes – when purchasing a new fridge or freezer, check if the retailer offers a ‘take-back’ service to remove your old appliance.
- Consider repairs or sourcing spare parts
- Reuse the item by giving it a new home by listing it on Freegle, Freecycle, Facebook Marketplace or Nextdoor.
- Be aware of rogue waste collectors – only use licensed waste carriers and get a record of where they will be taking your waste for disposal and keep hold of your receipt.
Warwickshire County Council said it will continue to monitor the national situation daily and will issue further updates to residents and partners as soon as the processing backlog clears.