Councils throughout the North East are monitoring whether they can continue to accept fridges and freezers at their tips, as a national disposal backlog rages on.
Earlier this week, North Tyneside Council announced it had suspended the acceptance of additional fridges and freezers at its Household Waste Recycling Centre in Wallsend. The authority was among the latest across the country to tell the public it was turning away such items, whilst a national bottleneck in the process is addressed.
According to statements from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the National Association of Waste Disposal Officers, the situation has been worsened by a series of fires and shutdowns of specialised facilities, and by an increase in the purchase of appliances during hot weather.
Council-by-council breakdown
North Tyneside: North Tyneside is not currently taking fridges or freezers at its Household Waste Recycling Centre in North Shields. In an earlier statement, the council’s director of environment, Samantha Dand, said: “We are working with our waste management partners to closely monitor the situation and restore normal collections and disposal arrangements as soon as possible. We will continue to keep residents informed and provide further updates as more information becomes available.”
Gateshead, Sunderland, and South Tyneside councils: A spokesperson for the South Tyne and Wear Waste Management Partnership said: “We are continuing to collect fridges and freezers and working closely with our contractor to monitor the situation and ensure that recycling services remain available.” South Tyneside Council also clarified that people can still take fridges and freezers to its ‘Recycling Village’ or arrange for a bulky waste collection.
Durham and Newcastle update
Durham: James Gilchrist, Durham County Council’s head of environment, said: “We are aware of a national issue with the recycling of fridges and freezers. We are working closely with the company which runs our household waste recycling centres to ensure County Durham residents can continue to dispose of their waste at our sites. Any change to this service would be communicated to residents through our usual channels.”
Newcastle City Council: Coun Peter Lovatt, cabinet member for neighbourhoods and local services: “There is currently a national shortage of specialist recycling capacity for discarded fridges and freezers, which is affecting local authorities across the country. “Newcastle City Council continues to accept these items at its Household Waste Recycling Centres. However, like many councils, we are closely monitoring the situation and reviewing our arrangements on an ongoing basis in line with the availability of national recycling and treatment capacity.”
Northumberland remains open
Northumberland County Council: A council spokesperson said: “There has been no full suspension of fridge/freezer acceptance in Northumberland’s HWRC network. Please be aware that Northumberland HWRCs are only for the use of Northumberland residents and will not accept any trade/commercial waste.”
