Mountain of broken fridges growing across England and Wales

A mountain of discarded fridges and other white goods is growing in waste centres across England and Wales, according to the Local Government Association (LGA). The surge in temperature has led to a rise in the number of fridges and freezers breaking down, creating a backlog of appliances that need to be safely disposed of. Dozens of councils have had to suspend collections of white goods due to the backlog, which has been exacerbated by a national shortage of specialists to process these appliances safely.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has announced a crackdown on illegal waste dumps, and the LGA is now urging the government to take urgent action on white goods as well. Councillor Arooj Shah, chair of the LGA Neighbourhoods committee, has called on the government to force white goods companies to bear the burden, help councils with the cost of extra storage, and prevent similar issues from arising in the future.

The backlog of defunct white goods is growing by the day and risks becoming a major problem if not addressed promptly. While the government is working to set up short-term storage solutions and push producers to take necessary steps, the remaining processing plants cannot operate above 30 degrees Celsius due to the heat waves. Industry experts warn that the situation is expected to improve gradually over the next six to twelve months as the seasonal peak passes.