Cold mountain! 80,000 dumped fridges pile up as recycling company collapses putting 650 jobs at risk

See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source Published: 09:28 EDT, 24 September 2026 | Updated: 09:36 EDT, 24 September 2026 Some 80,000 fridges have been abandoned at a recycling facility after the company went into administration. The pile of fridges and freezers is stuck with no plan for collection in the port at the docklands city of Newport, South Wales.They were dumped at a Unimetals recycling plant forced to shut its doors, leaving 650 jobs at risk.Calls have been made for the Government to bring the site back to solve a shortage of fridge and freezer recycling sites.Campaigners say the specialist equipment at the facility, which closed in November last year, needs to be used before they are sold off.It comes after Oxfordshire County Council wrote to the government to suggest reopening the facility to help with the white goods recycling 'crisis.'Laura Gordon, of the council said it would 'enable everyone to keep moving and recycling their fridges and freezers as normal'.She said: 'We've called on the government to step in now, while the equipment is still on site, get that site operating so we can start working through the backlog.' Some 80,000 fridges have been abandoned at a recycling facility after the company went into administration The pile of fridges and freezers is stuck with no plan for collection in the port at the docklands city of Newport, South Wales Calls have been made for the Government to bring the site back to solve a shortage of fridge and freezer recycling sitesMs Gordon said hot weather had caused problems in the recycling system along with fires at two separate sites in Darlaston, West Mids., and Thetford, Norfolk.She said it all contributed to a 'perfect storm' causing a backlog for councils to handle due to the reduced capacity across England and Wales.Ms Gordon said: 'Fridges and freezers require specialist recycling because of the cooling gases which can deplete the ozone, if they're not handled correctly.'Unfortunately, due to fires at two recycling sites and the bankruptcy of a third, national capacity is down massively.'A spokesman for Associated British Ports, which runs the port, said it is in talks with third parties about the site's future.The spokesman said: 'The Unimetals site at the Port of Newport was part of the Unimetals liquidation process.'ABP is in discussions with third parties about the future of the site and the material on site.'