Fridge collections suspended as tips reach capacity

Residents are being asked not to take fridges and freezers to household recycling centres for the foreseeable future.

Gloucestershire County Council said it would be unable to collect or process these items and other cooling appliances from household recycling centres from Saturday because of high demand.

The council said a lack of space at disposal sites was an issue across the country, adding: "The number of appliances awaiting collection continues to exceed the industry's capacity to remove and process them."

It said it would resume accepting the items once it was "practical and safe to do so". South Gloucestershire Council has also said it is unable to recycle the appliances.

Gloucestershire County Council apologised to residents and said it understood it would be frustrating.

"We have worked closely with our contractors and explored every available option to continue accepting these items for as long as possible," the council said.

"However, the volume of appliances arriving at our sites is now greater than can be safely stored and removed."

As an alternative, the council has advised:

• Giving away or selling appliances that are still in good working order through services such as Freegle or Freecycle.
• Using a retailer take-back scheme when buying a replacement.
• Check whether the district or borough council offers a bulky waste collection service.
• Safely storing the appliance at home until the suspension is lifted.
• Only using licensed waste carriers. Unlicensed operators may illegally dump waste and residents can be held responsible if an appliance is traced back to them.

In South Gloucestershire, the council said it had stopped accepting fridges and freezers included in bookings made after Wednesday.

Collections have also been suspended in Nottinghamshire, with Somerset and Peterborough among the areas to have put restrictions in place in recent weeks.

A spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs said it was "working closely with the Environment Agency, industry and local authority stakeholders to manage the impact of treatment capacity shortages".

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