Fridge freezer graveyards with 'more than 50k abandoned appliances' plaguing councils

Fridge freezer graveyards with 'more than 50k abandoned appliances' plaguing councils EXCLUSIVE: Mountains of abandoned fridge freezers are piling up across England and Wales sparking a recyling crisis - with an estimated 50,000 left plaguing councils Fridge freezer graveyards filled with the relics of more than 50,000 abandoned appliances are plaguing councils and costing taxpayers thousands, a Mirror probe can reveal. Council chiefs across England and Wales are battling to clear a mountain of scrapped white goods - fuelled by the record-breaking heatwave and the closure of processing plants. In recent months at least 26 councils across England and Wales - from Bradford to Gloucestershire, Durham and Nottinghamshire - have suspended collection services. It means they are burdened with huge storage bills worth thousands each day. Officials say it is hitting funds which would otherwise be spent on social care, education and other vital services. And they fear it could spark a spike in fly-tipping and illegal dumping with homeowners unable to dispose of unwanted fridge freezers. The Local Government Association say it is impossible to accurately predict the true scale of the problem. But the Mirror understands the number of discarded fridges and freezers exceeds 50,000. Councillo Jon Hubbard, from the Local Government Association, warned: "When you buy a fridge freezer, part of the cost of that fridge freezer, they're paying for is to subsidise the scheme to dispose of the fridges. "So the public aren't getting what they pay for and now they're having councils having to stop other services. Producers are profiteering from the public by not fulfilling their obligations." Fridges and freezers require specialist dismantling due to the toxic gases and chemicals they contain. However three of the UK's 10 full-scale processing plants have closed in the last 12 months. The three closures - due to a fire, bankruptcy and a change of use - have been compounded by this year's heatwaves. Coun Hubbard suggested the issue would "escalate", adding: "If one of our councils contacts the programme and says, 'We've got fridges ready for collection', they're meant to pick them up within five days and deal with them appropriately. These fridges have to be recycled in an approved, authorised treatment facility and they have to have a license from the Environment Agency. "There's a real responsibility to make sure that these gases are properly captured and dealt with appropriately. And that that's because they're potentially harmful. Now councils have this problem that they're having these fridge mountains build up, and that in itself is a challenge. "And councils themselves are now having to make arrangements for storing them and dealing with with the consequences of that. So councils are now facing yet another unplanned burden in expenditure which is having a heavy impact." Industry body the Environmental Services Association said this year's closures had ended up "knocking out capacity suddenly". Executive director Jacob Hayler previously said: "The result is that capacity is now constrained nationally until facilities can be brought back online or new capacity is permitted and developed." Shocking images from Norfolk show more than 30,000 abandoned fridges and freezers are piled at the council recycling centre which is now full to capacity. A Norfolk County council spokesperson said: "This is a national issue brought about by an authorised treatment plant going into administration in November 2025 and a recent fire at another authorised treatment plant. "Work is still ongoing to clear the existing backlog, and we are not yet able to resume accepting these items at our recycling centres. This is a national issue and we are waiting for updates from our contractor on when this is likely to be fully resolved." Norfolk County Council is one of those to have restricted fridge and freezer drop-offs to its seven biggest recycling centres as temporary storage fills up. The council normally operates 19 recycling centres across the county. Kate Murrell, assistant director for waste at Norfolk County Council, said the Mayton Wood site was being used as a short-term solution but was already nearing capacity. The authority is urging ministers to help unblock the system and ensure manufacturers and producer compliance schemes meet their responsibility to fund the collection and treatment of electrical waste. Elsewhere, last month it emerged thousands of appliances had been abandoned at a former recycling site at Newport docks, Wales, following the collapse of the company that operated at the facility. Pictures capturing the site show a large stockpile of appliances where the unwanted fridges and freezers remain while discussions take place over what should happen to the material. The site was previously operated by Unimetals, a recycling business with 28 sites across the UK including in Newport and the Neath Port Talbot village of Skewen. However Unimetals Recycling (UK) Ltd was placed into compulsory liquidation after a winding-up order was made on November 25, 2025, with an official receiver appointed as liquidator. The LGA has called for urgent government action, warning councils cannot be expected to keep paying to store ever-growing stockpiles. Some UK fridges are now being sent further afield to Scotland or even Europe for processing. Industry figures expect further UK processing capacity to become available in 2027, but have warned more long-term investment will be needed to make the system more resilient. Defra says it is working with manufacturers, compliance schemes and councils, and has stressed that producers remain responsible for clearing local authority sites. The crisis comes as the government steps up its wider crackdown on illegal waste dumping and fly-tipping.