Mountain of broken fridges growing across England and Wales
A surge in broken fridges and freezers caused by recent heatwaves has overwhelmed waste management systems across England and Wales. Local councils are calling for government intervention to address the backlog and storage shortages.
Why it matters
The issue highlights the intersection of climate-driven appliance failure and the limitations of current waste management infrastructure.
Image source, Getty Images Image caption, A mountain of discarded fridges at a dump in Manchester
A mountain of broken fridges is building up in waste centres across England and Wales, the Local Government Association (LGA) has warned.
This year's multiple heat waves have increased the numbers of white goods such as fridges and freezers breaking down and needing to be scrapped at specialist sites.
Dozens of councils have been forced to stop collections of white goods due to a major backlog, which has built up due to a national shortage of specialists needed to safely process the appliances.
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced the latest crackdown on illegal waste dumps - and the LGA is now calling on the government to take urgent action on dealing with white goods too.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in