Somerset Council caps fridge recycling amid UK capacity shortage

Somerset Council and recycling operator Biffa have limited each household in the county to one refrigerator, freezer or other cooling appliance at any of the 16 recycling sites during August. The restriction, already in place for commercial users, is a response to a national shortage of UK reprocessing capacity, which officials say is due to a recent fire or other unplanned outages at specialist treatment facilities combined with higher volumes of appliances being replaced in warmer weather.

Council spokesperson and executive councillor Federica Smith‑Roberts asked residents to hold off on taking appliances to recycling sites for a month if they can be safely stored, and suggested alternative options such as retailer take‑back schemes. The measure is described as temporary, subject to review and potentially extending beyond August if the national reprocessing situation does not improve.