London: Mountains of unwanted fridges could soon be piling up across London.

A new European Union directive has made it illegal for them to be disposed of in the old way.

If the government does not sort out the problem soon, local authorities like Redbridge could be forced to stockpile them until the matter is resolved.

The EU's ozone depleting substances regulation imposes new rules for disposing of fridges from January 1.

Cylinders containing gases harmful to the earths protective ozone layer will have to be removed from the fridges and disposed of separately. At present fridges can be crushed with the cylinders still inside them, releasing the gases into the atmosphere.

A Redbridge Council spokesman said: "I don't forsee a stockpiling problem as we should be able to dispose of most of the fridges in the normal way before the directive takes effect. However we will be working closely with East London Waste Disposal to address any problems that may occur."

A government circular sent to local authorities last week says there are currently no facilities in the UK for the fridges to be destroyed in line with the new regulations.

The government is in negotiation with three firms to build a suitable plant in Britain, but until then it will be impossible to recycle or destroy fridges without breaking the directive.

In the meantime, as part of Redbridge Council's Working Together for a Cleaner Borough, it is offering to collect old fridges for free during November.To get your old fridge collected and disposed of before the deadline ring the helpline on 8708 5515. Fridges can only be collected from outside properties.

November 15, 2001 18:00