Residents across Gloucestershire will no longer be able to take fridges, freezers or other cooling appliances to household recycling centres from Saturday, August 8, as a nationwide processing crisis continues to affect councils across the country.
The temporary suspension has been introduced by Gloucestershire County Council after storage areas at its recycling centres reached capacity, with far more appliances arriving than can be collected and processed.
The council says the problem is part of a national issue affecting the waste industry, with authorities including Warwickshire, Nottinghamshire and South Gloucestershire also forced to suspend collections.
Councillor Ashley Bowkett, cabinet member for Nature, Climate and Waste Reduction, said: “We understand this will be frustrating for residents and we’re sorry for the inconvenience caused.
“This is a national issue affecting the waste industry across the country and unfortunately it is outside the control of the county council.
“We have explored every possible option available to us and worked closely with our contractors to continue accepting fridges and freezers for as long as possible, but we have now reached the point where our sites cannot safely accommodate any more.
“We are continuing to work with our partners to monitor the situation and will resume accepting fridges and freezers as soon as it is practical and safe to do so.”
Customers with existing bookings will be contacted by email to inform them of the change.
What residents should do
Until the suspension is lifted, residents are being urged to:
- Give away or sell working appliances through services such as Freegle or Freecycle.
- Use retailer take-back schemes when buying a replacement appliance.
- Check whether their district or borough council offers a bulky waste collection service (charges may apply).
- Store unwanted appliances safely at home where possible.
- Only use licensed waste carriers, as residents can be held responsible if appliances are illegally fly-tipped and traced back to them.
Council leader Councillor Lisa Spivey will also write to DEFRA urging the Government to provide national support to help resolve the issue and will encourage other council leaders to do the same.
The council says updates will be provided on its website and social media channels as the situation develops, and has asked residents to be patient with recycling centre staff, who have no control over the national problem.
