Abandoned fridges and freezers may become a regular sight after an EU directive labelled fridges as 'hazardous waste'.
From January 1, 2002, it will be illegal to dispose of them without capturing and destroying their ozone-depleting CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons).
This cannot yet be done in the UK, so they will have to be safely stored until then. As this will be expensive, retailers are likely to stop taking in old fridges when people buy new ones.
The Conservative group on the Greater London Assembly (GLA) said: "It is likely that many old fridges will be fly-tipped across the capital, leading to environmental pollution and clutter, as well as creating a safety hazard."
The council recommends taking unwanted fridges to its recycling centre in Summers Lane, Mill Hill, or paying £21 for the council to collect them.
But it is unclear whether the Summers Lane site can legally take in 'hazardous' fridges.
Councillor Geof Cooke, Barnet Council's cabinet member for environment, explained: "We are awaiting guidance from the Environment Agency on whether the site licence at Summers Lane will need to be changed to accommodate them."
December 21, 2001 17:18
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