On Hamstead Road
Discarded fridge freezer, doors still on, on Hamstead Road near its junction with Soho . I've brought this to the attention of Birmingham City Council waste services but they have an enormous job on their hands all over the city. The private scrap-men who used to include fridges in their pickups avoid them now because of regulations. The people in the image are neighbours. We agreed to post this picture to make a point about the danger of discarded fridge freezers to adventurous kids.
In England and Wales (probably Scotland too) there are now three key laws covering fridge disposal:
1.Duty of Care – Waste (Household Waste) Duty of Care (England & Wales) Regulations 2005 – all householders getting rid of waste (not just old fridges!) have a duty of care to ensure that it is disposed of properly. In practise this means that you need either a) to take it to a licensed waste facility (eg. local civic amenity site), or b) to ensure that any 3rd party you use to remove the waste is registered as a waste carrier with the Environment Agency and provides you with a appropriately completed Waste Transfer Note for the collection. Breach of your duty of care is a criminal offence and can also lead to civil liability if your waste ends up being disposed of incorrectly (eg. fly-tipped).
2.Removal of ODS – EC regulation 2037/2000 – all refrigeration units containing Ozone Depleting Substances (ie. CFCs and HCFCs) must have those ODS removed in a controlled manner before the appliance is scrapped. Failure to comply with these regulations carries a fine of up to £2,500 and eligibility for prosecution.
3.Recycling and Recovery – The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment regulations (‘WEEE Regs’) – place an obligation on manufacturers, retailers, distributors, local authorities, waste management companies, importers, exporters and business users to reuse, recycle and recover fridge units wherever possible.
On Hamstead Road
Discarded fridge freezer, doors still on, on Hamstead Road near its junction with Soho . I've brought this to the attention of Birmingham City Council waste services but they have an enormous job on their hands all over the city. The private scrap-men who used to include fridges in their pickups avoid them now because of regulations. The people in the image are neighbours. We agreed to post this picture to make a point about the danger of discarded fridge freezers to adventurous kids.
In England and Wales (probably Scotland too) there are now three key laws covering fridge disposal:
1.Duty of Care – Waste (Household Waste) Duty of Care (England & Wales) Regulations 2005 – all householders getting rid of waste (not just old fridges!) have a duty of care to ensure that it is disposed of properly. In practise this means that you need either a) to take it to a licensed waste facility (eg. local civic amenity site), or b) to ensure that any 3rd party you use to remove the waste is registered as a waste carrier with the Environment Agency and provides you with a appropriately completed Waste Transfer Note for the collection. Breach of your duty of care is a criminal offence and can also lead to civil liability if your waste ends up being disposed of incorrectly (eg. fly-tipped).
2.Removal of ODS – EC regulation 2037/2000 – all refrigeration units containing Ozone Depleting Substances (ie. CFCs and HCFCs) must have those ODS removed in a controlled manner before the appliance is scrapped. Failure to comply with these regulations carries a fine of up to £2,500 and eligibility for prosecution.
3.Recycling and Recovery – The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment regulations (‘WEEE Regs’) – place an obligation on manufacturers, retailers, distributors, local authorities, waste management companies, importers, exporters and business users to reuse, recycle and recover fridge units wherever possible.