Abandoned fridges and freezers may become a regular sight in the borough 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). Facilities to do this do not yet exist in the UK, which means they will have to be safely stored until facilities become available. As this will be expensive, retailers are likely to stop taking in old fridges when people buy new ones.

The Conservative group on the GLA, said in a statement: "As a result 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."

Local authorities are responsible for waste management and will have to pay for this storage. A Barnet Council spokesman said: "We're waiting to see how much it is going to cost us. The Government are putting £6million towards it for the whole country, but we don't know how it's going to be divided up."

The council recommends taking unwanted fridges to their recycling centre in Summers Lane, Mill Hill, or paying £21 for the council to collect them.

Yet it is unclear if the Summers Lane site can legally take in 'hazardous' fridges. Councillor Geof Cooke, 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."

Roger Evans, the GLA's Conservative environment spokesman said: "The Government must make some urgent provisions to ensure that their unbelievable ineptitude is not detrimental to Londoners."

December 20, 2001 13:44

LEIGH COLLINS