| Sadly no, fridge mountain is not Disneyland's | | | | behaviours? Well there are simple recycling |
| newest ride. Fridge mountain refers to the | | | | structures we can follow, bottles, cans and |
| problem which has been highlighted over the past | | | | plastics are easy to separate and correctly |
| few years - the mounds of fridges which were | | | | dispose of. When choosing to dispose of an old |
| dumped creating unsightly piles. It is not surprising | | | | electrical appliance then many companies will offer |
| these piles built up, around 2.3 million refrigerators | | | | to collect the appliance and recycle it, this service |
| are being disposed of every year in the UK and | | | | should be free, usually with a small charge for the |
| with this kind of volume we had to get better at | | | | transportation of the appliance. When buying a |
| refrigeration disposal - and fast. | | | | new appliance you should always opt to recycle |
| Slowly the mountains cleared and we had to | | | | the old one, apart from the fact it is removed |
| make sure that this level of waste was not | | | | carefully, safely and correctly it saves you the |
| produced again, cue a new government scheme | | | | hassle of having to remove the appliance yourself. |
| to ensure that recycling would be taken to the | | | | Some people do try and dispose of refrigerators |
| next level, the WEEE Directive. The WEEE | | | | themselves. Apart from being illegal, dumping |
| Directive (Waste Electrical and Electronic | | | | appliances can also be dangerous to the |
| Equipment) was put into place to ensure that all | | | | environment. CFC's (chlorofluorocarbons) are |
| electrical goods and appliances are correctly | | | | present in refrigerators and are a chemical coolant |
| disposed of. The scheme was launched on 1st July | | | | consisting of carbon, fluorine, chlorine and |
| 2007, so in 18 months has it made a difference? | | | | hydrogen. These chemicals have a harmful effect |
| In short, yes, after the first full year of the | | | | on the environment and can leak from cooling |
| scheme there has been noticeably less waste | | | | appliances, therefore all old fridges need to be |
| produced and waste electronic equipment has | | | | removed properly and not just dumped |
| been disposed of more efficiently. Manufacturers | | | | somewhere convenient. |
| are starting to product friendlier products to | | | | So what else can you do? Instead of recycling |
| support the scheme. Households across the UK | | | | why not re-home? If an appliance is still in working |
| are learning to recycle more, with councils | | | | condition then someone else could make use of it |
| providing various coloured bins helping us to | | | | so think before you dispose of it. The WEEE |
| separate our waste it is easier then ever to do | | | | directive has not only raised awareness but it has |
| our bit. In an average persons lifetime they can | | | | added to our everyday recycling habits, from |
| produce up to 3.3 tonnes* of electronic waste, | | | | batteries to fridges, bottles to papers most things |
| this figure should hopefully decrease as we | | | | are now recyclable so jump on the green |
| become more conscious of the issue. | | | | bandwagon and don't get left behind. |
| What can we do to further improve our recycling | | | | |