Cherwell fridge collections suspended: what to do instead

Cherwell District Council has stopped taking new bulky-waste bookings for fridges and freezers, in what its bulky waste collection page calls a temporary suspension. The notice, flagged “IMPORTANT” at the top of the page, says that “due to a national shortage of specialist fridge and freezer recycling capacity, councils across Oxfordshire have had to take the very difficult decision to temporarily suspend new bulky waste collection bookings for fridges and freezers”, and that Warwickshire, Kent and Nottinghamshire have introduced similar measures.

Anyone who already had a fridge or freezer collection booked will still get it. The council says: “Residents who already have a fridge or freezer collection booked should be reassured that we are continuing to collect appliances that have already been scheduled.” It gives no end date, only that it “will provide updates as soon as the situation changes”.

The rest of the bulky service is running as normal, with the 2026/27 charges of £14.50 for one small item, £21.50 for one medium or large item and £35.50 for any three, up to 12 items per household, collected on Wednesdays and Thursdays in the south of the district and Tuesdays and Fridays in the north (Cherwell District Council, bulky waste collection). The council’s current list of what it can collect still runs from cookers and dishwashers to washing machines and tumble dryers; fridges and freezers are no longer on it, and commercial fridges never were.

The recycling centres are still open to you

The other council in this story is Oxfordshire County Council, which runs the county’s seven household waste recycling centres, including Alkerton (Stratford Road, near Banbury, OX15 6HZ) and Ardley Fields (Brackley Road, Ardley, OX27 7PH) (find a recycling centre). Its response to the same shortage, announced on 6 August, was narrower: the centres will “only accept fridges and freezers from Oxfordshire residents”, and the booking system has been changed so that people from outside the county can no longer select a fridge or freezer when they book. The county says the “targeted approach is intended to reduce incoming tonnage and protect limited storage capacity, while maintaining the service for Oxfordshire households”, and notes that “some councils around the country” have suspended fridges and freezers at their recycling centres altogether.

So a Banbury or Bicester household with a dead fridge has lost the doorstep option but not the tip. To use it you need to book a slot, which can be done up to two weeks ahead or as little as 30 minutes before you go, and bring proof of address (the county gives a driving licence or a recent utility or council tax bill as examples). Visitors from outside Oxfordshire are charged £15 a booking and, from now, cannot bring a fridge or freezer at all. People without internet access can book by phone on 01865 519800, 8.45am to 5pm Monday to Thursday and 8.45am to 4pm on Fridays. Alkerton opens 8am to 5pm daily, with last entry at 4.55pm (Oxfordshire County Council, 6 August 2026; household waste recycling centres).

The retailer route, which is a legal right

Cherwell’s notice ends by asking people who are replacing an appliance to “check whether your retailer offers a take-back service”. That is understated. Under the WEEE regulations, a retailer that sells you a new fridge or freezer must give you a way to dispose of the old one: the government’s guidance for distributors says “you must provide a way for your customers to dispose of their old household electrical and electronic equipment when you sell them a new version of the same item”, and the retailer has to do that either through a free in-store take-back, its own free alternative (typically collection when the new one is delivered) or by belonging to the Distributor Take-back Scheme, and must tell customers which. Ask which route the shop uses before you order rather than after the new one arrives.

Why this is happening

Neither council names the plant or contractor behind the shortage. The district talks of “reduced processing capacity within the UK’s specialist recycling network”; the county of “a nationwide shortage of specialist facilities able to process fridges and freezers” that “has created a significant backlog across the sector”, leaving it with “limited storage capacity” for appliances awaiting treatment. The county says it “will continue discussions with its contractor and disposal outlets” and is keeping the position “under close review”. If the district reopens bookings, the notice on its bulky waste page is where it will appear first, and we will update this story.

What it means for you

• Do not leave a fridge out for a bulky collection you have not booked. Bookings for fridges and freezers are closed; other bulky items can still be booked as normal.
• Already booked? Your collection stands. Put it out by 7am on the day.
• Replacing it? Make the retailer take the old one. They are legally required to offer a free route, in store or through a scheme, when you buy a like-for-like item.
• Taking it to Alkerton or Ardley: book first, take proof of address, and empty the appliance before you go. Alkerton’s own page lists fridges and freezers among the waste it accepts and gives its hours as 8am to 5pm, seven days, last entry 4.55pm (Alkerton recycling centre).
• Using a private collector: the district council’s advice on its “what we can’t collect” page is to “choose a reputable company that will legally dispose of your items”.
• Our Banbury planning news page and the wider news section carry updates on district services; this page will be updated when either council changes its position.

Sources: Cherwell District Council, bulky waste collection and what we can and can’t collect; Oxfordshire County Council, recycling centres to temporarily stop accepting fridges and freezers from non-county residents (6 August 2026), book a visit and find a recycling centre; GOV.UK, electrical and electronic equipment: distributor responsibilities.