Together, those fridges would cover an area just under half the size of a football pitch. But the space to store them – in Oxfordshire and beyond – has become a growing problem after the Local Government Association (LGA) warned that a mountain of broken fridges was rising in waste centres across England and Wales, as this year’s heatwaves push more white goods to breaking point, and a trend for second/backup refrigeration products keeps growing. Councils say there are now not enough facilities to recycle fridges after a major centre at Newport Docks went into liquidation last year, leaving more than 80,000 fridges and freezers stranded, overwhelming local storage capacity.
Two other centres have shut in recent years. Councils from Bradford to Gloucestershire, Durham and Nottinghamshire are among 26 to have suspended fridge collections this month, and the backlog is adding to financial pressures on local authorities. At the centre in Ardley, four fridges sit waiting to be taken away – two small, two large, several looking barely worn.
The council has managed capacity this year by asking people to book slots before bringing in fridges, but is having to tighten those restrictions further. Fridge and freezer drop-offs are temporarily limited to Oxfordshire residents only, and booking slots – limited to the week ahead – cannot be made for new appointments until 28 September, though existing district bulky waste collections will still be honoured. Laura Gordon, an Oxfordshire county councillor, fears that unless the issue is resolved, for Oxfordshire and other councils the situation will get worse.
Part of the problem is that fridges are hard to recycle. Every fridge contains refrigerant gas that must be safely drained before the unit can be processed. Perry points to a small box fitted to the back of one fridge: the compressor, which holds the refrigerant and has to come out first.
Even the foam insulation inside the walls is a hazard, meaning fridges cannot go through a standard metal recycling line – they need specialist plants equipped to degas them safely. That means sites holding fridges need an environmental permit or registered exemption, since they are classed as hazardous waste. Purchasing patterns suggest the wave of fridges in recycling centres is not due to a sudden increase in new fridge purchases or replacements.
Stefan Hay, the chief executive of the UK Home Appliance Association (AMDEA), said the market for fridges over the last five years had been “pretty flat”. He said: “Sales in the first half of 2026 were actually down slightly, as were WEEE (waste electrical and electronic equipment) collections against target.” The trend towards larger American-style fridges is also not contributing. There has, however, been growth in additional refrigeration.
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