Warwickshire County Council has announced that residents can once again dispose of fridges and freezers at Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) across the county. 

Residents are being asked to note that capacity remains limited and are encouraged to consider the alternative disposal options, outlined below, where it is possible. 

The resumption follows a temporary suspension issued on 5 August, which was put in place after around 1,000 cooling appliances accumulated across Warwickshire County Council sites, pushing storage capacity to its limit.   

The backlog was due to a national shortage of capacity to recycle and process fridges, freezers and other cooling appliances. The UK's recycling infrastructure has been significantly affected by facility fires, plant closures and limited storage capacity.  Warwickshire was among numerous local authorities affected. 

Since the suspension, Warwickshire County Council has made significant progress in clearing the backlog through concerted collection efforts. In addition, the County Council has worked closely with the Environment Agency, which has agreed to relax specific storage requirements. This has allowed for the allocation of additional outside space increasing the overall capacity for storing fridges and freezers across the recycling centres.

The bulky waste collection form on the Stratford-on-Avon website is now open again: Large Household Items Collection | Stratford-on-Avon District Council

Advice for Residents 

?WCC continues to urge residents to consider all available options before bringing cooling appliances to a recycling centre: 

Store safely at home: If possible, please continue to store old units safely at your property to help ease the pressure on HWRC capacity. 

Retailer take-back schemes: If you are purchasing a new fridge or freezer, check if the retailer offers a "take-back" service to remove your old appliance. Under the UK WEEE Regulations, distributors and retailers have obligations to offer take-back facilities or accept old fridges and freezers where a new one is being purchased. 

Consider repair: Spare parts such as drawers and seals are easy to source online and replace yourself. For mechanical issues, consider a local appliance repair company. 

Reuse: If your unwanted item is still in working order, a good way to give it a new home and a second life is to list it on Freegle, Freecycle, Facebook Marketplace, or Nextdoor.

Beware of rogue waste collectors: Only use licensed waste carriers to dispose of any type of waste. Get a record of where they say they will take your waste and keep hold of your receipt. Handing appliances over to unlicensed operators often leads to fly-tipping, which remains a criminal offence. 

Warwickshire County Council will continue to monitor storage levels closely to ensure operations remain safe and manageable.