Officials turn people away as numbers of appliances failing soar – and it’s thought to be because of the heatwave
Councils ban item from recycling as crisis hits UK caused by heatwave damage – listCouncils across the UK are refusing to take an item which can be found in every kitchen – because so many have broken. A BBC expert has explained that dozens of local authorities have decided to suspend collections of the appliance.
Appearing on BBC Breakfast today Moneybox reporter Dan Whitworth said anyone trying to get rid of their old fridge potentially will hve a problem. he said pictures showed them stacked up high.
He added: “People have obviously they’ve done the right thing. They’ve dropped off their old fridges and freezers. And what should happen next is they’re collected and taken to a specialist waste firm that can safely dispose the quite hazardous materials inside them. But that isn’t happening here clearly or in at several other sites right across England and Wales. And that means dozens of councils are now reporting problems and refusing to accept any more fridges or freezes. The Midlands, particularly Birmingham and Shropshire and the Southeast and South of England, are said to be the most impacted.”
A spokesperson for Warwickshire council said: “So essentially, it’s because the secured um recycling scheme facilities have um a backlog. Um I think the hot weather over the summer has also created an issue. We’re seeing more and more fridges um not working and then the councils encourage residents to dispose of them in a responsible way. So we collect them and then these um schemes have 5 days to come and collect them off the council but we’re seeing that that’s not happening which is creating a huge issue and a backlog across the country.”
Mr Whitworth said the problem at some centres was being made worse because of site closures and some have been hit by a growing wave of fires, often caused by lithium batteries. He said: “The government told us it’s working with local authorities and others to limit the impact, including actually allowing the storage of fridges on temporary sites. And that’s something that’s not usually allowed.
“So, what do you do if you’ve got an old fridge or freezer and you do need to get rid of it? Well, check the website or social media of your local recycling centre to see if they’re taking them. That’s the first port of call. Some have already lifted restrictions whilst others are only just introducing them. Now, if you can’t wait, one council has this advice. If the fridge still works, well, try selling or donating your old appliance.
“Check if the retailer you bought a new one from operates what’s called a takeback scheme. And if you’re going to ask someone to come and take it away. This is so important. Make sure they are a licensed waste carrier. Some unlicensed operators may just dump it, and we don’t want that to happen.”
The Local Government Association said: “Ongoing national processing issues mean many people will be unable to recycle fridge and freezers this Bank Holiday weekend with councils calling for recycling schemes to get back on track as discarded appliances pile up at recycling centres, the Local Government Association says today.
“Councils are working hard to ensure residents who want to do the right thing can continue to bring old and broken appliances in for recycling. However, their ability to provide this service is being threatened by a national shortage of specialist processing capacity that is entirely beyond their control – with a significant backlog emerging nationally.
“Fridges and freezers are more likely to fail during hot weather, with the recent heatwaves likely exacerbating this issue, increasing the number that need to be collected and recycled.
“Councils up and down the country are now securing costly temporary storage, asking residents to delay disposing of appliances or warning that they may have to stop accepting them as sites reach their safe capacity.”
LGA research has identified dozens of councils which have already been forced to stop or restrict fridge and freezer collections, with more expected to be affected as the disruption continues.
Known affected councils/areas – check first with council before taking action in case situation has changed
These have publicly reported suspensions, temporary stops, or significant restrictions on accepting fridges/freezers at HWRCs and/or bulky collections: Bradford — Tips turning away items; storage at capacity.
Gloucestershire County Council — Suspended at household recycling centres.
Nottinghamshire County Council — Collections suspended (initially for ~4 weeks, reviewed weekly); Nottingham City has limits (e.g., one per visit).
Warwickshire County Council — Immediate full suspension at all HWRCs.
Leeds — Temporary stop at HWRCs (linked to Bradford reports).
Black Country / West Midlands area: Dudley, Wolverhampton, Sandwell (not accepting); Staffordshire County Council also suspended. (Walsall reported as still accepting at one point.)
Oxfordshire — County-level restrictions; several districts (Cherwell, Oxford City, South Oxfordshire, Vale of White Horse) stopped or restricted bulky collections; tips moved to booking systems with daily limits. West Oxfordshire continued collections in some reports.
South Gloucestershire — Stopped new bookings/acceptance for collections and centres (as of early August updates).
Somerset — Limits (e.g., one cooling appliance per household at sites during August).
North Tyneside — Temporary suspension at HWRC (lifted by late August).
Merthyr Tydfil (Wales) — Suspended bulky collections for these items (sites had limits).
Additional councils may be affected or have milder restrictions (limits, booking systems, or monitoring capacity closely). Some areas like parts of the North East (e.g., Gateshead, Sunderland, South Tyneside, Newcastle, Northumberland in recent checks) continued accepting while monitoring.
Residents are advised to check their council website for real-time updates.