Fridges are replaced in huge numbers every year across the country, and when a tired one finally gives up it leaves you with an awkward problem, because an old fridge is one of the very few household items you cannot simply put in a skip. The reasons behind that are more interesting than they first appear, and the good news is there are several proper routes for getting rid of one without breaking any rules or harming the environment. We have spent well over a century helping people across West Lancashire clear out their homes, so here is our guide to dealing with a fridge the right way, and how a house clearance skip hire still fits neatly around the rest of the job.
Why you cannot put a fridge in a skip
It catches a lot of people out, but a fridge or freezer is classed as hazardous waste, and that comes down to what is inside it rather than the metal and plastic you can see. The cooling system contains refrigerant gases, and on older models these are the ozone damaging types that did so much harm before they were phased out. The insulating foam packed into the walls of the unit also contains blowing agents that have to be captured rather than released into the air. Before any of the metal, plastic and glass can be recycled, a fridge has to be degassed and stripped down by a licensed handler using the right equipment, and that simply cannot happen once it has been crushed in the back of a skip lorry. As a licensed carrier we are bound by exactly the same rules everyone else is, so a fridge cannot travel in a general skip, and anyone who tells you otherwise is cutting a corner you do not want to be linked to. Knowing that up front saves you the wasted effort of loading a heavy appliance into a skip only to have it refused at collection.
Donating or selling a fridge that still works
Before you write the old appliance off entirely, it is worth asking whether it still has life left in it. A fridge that cools properly is useful to plenty of people, and passing it on keeps a working appliance out of the waste stream altogether, which is always the best outcome. Friends, family or neighbours setting up a first home are an obvious starting point, and there are reuse charities and community projects across the region that will collect working white goods, sometimes refurbishing them for families who need them. If you would rather sell, the usual local selling pages and online marketplaces move appliances quickly, especially well kept ones. The main thing is to make sure the fridge is clean, defrosted and in proper working order before it goes, so nobody ends up collecting a unit that fails a week later.
Letting your retailer take the old one away
If you are replacing the fridge with a new one, the simplest route is often to let the shop deal with the old appliance for you. Under the rules that cover electrical waste, retailers have to offer a take back service, and most will collect your old fridge on the same visit when they deliver and install the new one. There is sometimes a small charge for this, and it usually has to be a like for like swap, but having the old unit lifted out and carried off at the very moment the new one arrives saves a lot of effort and a separate trip. If you are buying in store or online, ask about the collection option at the point of sale rather than after delivery, because it is far easier to arrange up front than to chase later.
Council collections and recycling centres near you
Your local council has to provide a collection service for bulky items, and a fridge falls squarely into that category. The councils around here, whether that is West Lancashire, Sefton or Chorley, all run their own bulky waste collections, and the charge is usually modest. The trade off is that you often wait a while for a slot, and you generally have to manhandle the fridge out to the kerb or an agreed collection point yourself on the day, which is no small job with a full size appliance. The other option is to take it to a household waste recycling centre yourself if you have a van or a large enough car. That works well, but do check before you load it up, because not every site accepts fridges, and the ones that do sometimes handle them on particular days or in a separate area away from the general skips. A quick look at your council website before you set off saves a wasted journey with an appliance you then have to take home again.
Where a skip still earns its place
None of this means a skip has no part to play, because a fridge is rarely the only thing coming out when a kitchen is being refitted or a house cleared. While the appliance itself goes off on its own route, everything else a job like that throws up, old units and worktops, tiles, packaging from the new appliances, flooring and the general clutter that turns up behind a fridge that has not moved in years, is exactly what a skip is for. For a kitchen refit a 4 tonne midi skip usually holds plenty and sits comfortably on a drive, and if you are unsure what size suits the work, our guide to choosing the right skip size walks through the options. Keeping the fridge separate and the rest of the waste in a skip is the cleanest way to handle the whole clear out in one go.
What happens to the waste we collect
When a skip comes back to us it goes to our own recycling centre rather than straight to the ground. Metals, timber, card and other recoverable materials are sorted out and sent on for recycling, and we keep as much as possible in use, which is part of how a family business that has served the area for generations has always worked. You can read more about that side of things on our recycling and environmental work page, and if you have ever wondered exactly what happens to the waste in your skip once it leaves you, we have set that out in full as well.
Clearing appliances and household waste across the region
We cover a wide stretch of West Lancashire and Merseyside, so whether you are sorting a single kitchen or clearing a whole property, we can get the right skip to you and keep the rest of the waste moving. If you are local to Burscough skip hire, Southport skip hire or Formby skip hire, delivery and collection are quick to arrange, and we are always happy to point you towards the right route for the fridge itself if you are not sure where to start.
Whenever you are ready to clear out an old appliance and the work that comes with it, our office can sort the right skip and a quote built around what you actually have. Call our friendly team on 01704 779345 or get in touch through our contact our team page, and we will be pleased to help.
