Tens of thousands of fridge freezers left at docks as household collections suspended
Tens of thousands of fridge freezers are stranded at Newport Docks and in private gardens after the liquidation of recycling company Unimetals suspended household collections. The closure of this major facility has created a significant capacity shortage, forcing nearly a quarter of Welsh councils to halt their waste collection services. Environmental experts warn that the backlog poses serious risks due to the presence of harmful greenhouse gases and toxic chemicals within the appliances.
- ▪Unimetals filed for liquidation in 2025, leaving tens of thousands of fridge freezers at Newport Docks and removing approximately 30% of the UK's fridge recycling capacity.
- ▪Almost a quarter of Welsh councils have suspended household collections of cooling appliances due to a shortage of space at disposal sites.
- ▪Dr. David Santillo from Greenpeace warned that the stranded appliances contain harmful chemicals like hydrofluorocarbons that can leak or create toxic smoke if a fire occurs.
- ▪Associated British Ports stated that the materials at the Newport site are being managed responsibly and will be transferred to another specialist recycling operation in due course.
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| Original publisher | BBC News — Science |
| Canonical URL | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1mvz3nyjxno?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss |
| Publication time | Sat, 19 Sep 2026 20:57:03 GMT |
| Retrieval time | 2026-09-19T20:58:46.181Z |
| Last seen | 2026-09-19T20:58:46.181Z |
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Tens of thousands of fridge freezers left at docks as household collections suspendedImage source, Media WalesImage caption, The closure of the Newport site is thought to have taken away about 30% of the fridge recycling capacity in the UKByOscar EdwardsBBC WalesPublished1 minute agoPeople have reported storing broken fridges and freezers in their gardens for months because some council collections have been suspended.It follows the closure of specialist treatment facilities and a wider shortage of capacity to process cooling appliances, the Local Government Authority (LGA) said.Recycling company Unimetals, which had dozens of sites in the UK, filed for liquidation in 2025 leaving tens of thousands of fridge freezers at Newport Docks.The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs…
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