Residents in Dudley borough have been told to hold onto old fridges and freezers or arrange for retailers to take them away after the council suspended all collections and drop-offs at its household waste recycling centre.
The decision, announced by Dudley Council, cancels existing appointments for residents who had booked to have items collected from their homes or delivered to the Stourbridge waste site. The authority said the move was forced by a national shortage of specialist treatment capacity for refrigeration appliances.
National shortage forces suspension
Councillor Damian Corfield, Dudley cabinet member for neighbourhoods, said the council had no choice but to act. 'The council has had to temporarily suspend accepting fridges, freezers and other cooling appliances at our household waste recycling centre, along with collections of these items from residents' homes, due to a national shortage in specialist treatment capacity,' he said.
He added that the problem was beyond local control and was affecting councils across the country. The shortage follows a significant reduction in the number of specialist facilities able to process waste fridges and freezers.
Refrigeration appliances contain gases and foams that must be disposed of by specialists to prevent greenhouse gas emissions. The industry has been under pressure since the liquidation of Unimetals Recycling last November, which operated a major fridge recycling plant in Wales. A series of fires at other recycling plants has added to the strain, leaving councils with nowhere to send white goods and limited storage space.
Council seeks alternative solutions
Dudley Council is now assessing whether it has suitable storage facilities that comply with Environment Agency regulations. In the meantime, the suspension remains in place until further notice.
Cllr Corfield apologised to residents affected. 'We apologise to residents who had collections booked and are getting in touch to arrange refunds. We are currently exploring alternative solutions, but in the meantime, we would ask residents to hold onto their appliances for the short term or, if buying a replacement appliance, please also ask the supplier to take your old one away.'
The council is contacting residents with existing bookings to arrange refunds and is advising anyone with unwanted fridges or freezers to either store them safely at home or request that retailers collect the old appliance when delivering a new one. The suspension only applies to cooling appliances; other household waste collections and recycling centre services continue as normal.
The recycling industry crisis has hit households across the UK, with many local authorities struggling to find outlets for fridges and freezers. Industry experts have warned that the situation could persist until new treatment capacity comes online, which may take several months.
