EU recycling rules freeze UK's fridge mountain
Date: 31-Jan-02
Country: UK
Author: Amanda Cooper
Since January 1 the second-hand refrigerators and freezers may not be exported outside the EU without being stripped of chemicals in the insulation foam which deplete the ozone layer.
But removing the foam effectively destroys the fridge, industry officials say, and the UK does not yet have any specialised plants to clear the backlog of old units in line with the new regulations.
But of the 3.5 million fridges discarded every year in Britain, nearly two million were previously exported for re-use, and these have been stockpiling all over the UK as they may no longer be sold outside the EU.
John Blake's small Cambridgeshire scrapyard is bursting at the seams with a miniature Manhattan of some 3,000 second-hand fridges, which no longer have anywhere to go.
"The only way to solve the problem is to place the machines in developing countries because there, they can't afford brand new fridges, and that is the true essence of recycling - not to destroy anything," he said.
"This government does not support second-hand technology going abroad and that's the crux of the matter."
Fridges made after 2000 contain no chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) in their insulation foam, but units made before that date must have the chemicals removed at a treatment plant, which effectively prevents the fridge from being used again.
Blake runs CFC Disposal in the village of Christchurch near Ely in eastern England where he collects and stores fridges.
"We're down-to-earth people here. We only understand what we're doing. We don't understand this stupid ruling because, environmentally, it's not sound. Why should we destroy fridges on the whim of an EU regulation?" he said.
London-based shipping firm OT Africaline, which has handled thousands of the second-hand appliances, said on its website: "The authorities have not appreciated the immediate consequences of the ban, i.e, destroyed goods are more dangerous than those kept in general use."
FROZEN ASSETS
The UK Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) said it is unable to reverse the EU ruling on exports and free the fridges from cold storage in Britain.
A DEFRA spokeswoman said: "The fridges that are useable can be re-sold in the UK and the EU but they cannot be exported outside the EU."
"Although this has been a market (export outside the EU), EU-wise we can no longer do it, and also some countries have said they don't want these fridges any more," she said.
CFCs have been blamed for adding to the greenhouse gas effect that may have caused the earth's temperature to rise and perforated the earth-shielding ozone layer over Antarctica.
The DEFRA spokeswoman said: "If you get a good-value fridge that has been sitting in people's homes, there are needy people that could use them here in this country."
CFC Disposal's Blake said up to 90 percent of the rusting sea of fridges in his yard are in good working order and simply require some cleaning and a new coat of paint.
But with the non-EU market now out of bounds, it may be hard to allocate these fridges, and many could be scrapped despite having another 10 years of useful life.
"The govermment has said that we can use the fridges for charity workers over here. But charities here don't want three million fridges," he said.
"I have suggested to DEFRA that we close Stansted airport and use that for storage. It's level ground, it's dry and when we run out of room at Stansted we can use Heathrow," he joked.
