Can I Take a Fridge or Freezer to the Tip in Leeds?
No. Not at the moment. Leeds City Council is currently unable to take fridges or freezers at any of its household waste recycling centres. Their own notice says they are “temporarily unable to accept fridges and freezers at our household waste recycling centres due to a national shortage of specialist processing facilities”, and that storage areas are at full capacity. Whatever your council does, a fridge cannot go in a bin, cannot go in a skip, and cannot legally be scrapped like ordinary metal. Kruze collects fridges and freezers across Leeds and West Yorkshire from £60, from wherever the appliance stands, under Waste Carrier Licence CBDU597687. Call or WhatsApp 07436 120271.
Checked on 31 August 2026. Two of the seven councils we cover have suspended fridge acceptance this month and describe it as temporary, so this page is a snapshot. Check your council’s own page before making a special trip.
Why fridges are treated differently from everything else
A fridge is not refused because it is big. It is refused because of what is inside it.
The coolant and the insulating foam both have to be degassed at a licensed facility before the metal and plastic can be recycled. That is controlled under the WEEE regulations and the F-gas and ozone-depleting substances rules, and it needs specialist plant that not every waste site has. It is why a fridge costs more to handle than a washing machine of the same size, and it is why a national shortage of that specialist plant can stop councils accepting them at all.
One thing to get right, because it is widely repeated and wrong: fridges are not POPs waste. POPs rules cover upholstered domestic seating, which is sofas and armchairs. Fridges are a separate control regime entirely. Anyone justifying a fridge price by citing POPs has the reason wrong even if the price is fair.
What Leeds City Council does
| Right now | Not accepted at any Leeds HWRC. Checked on their own site 31/08/2026 |
| Their stated reason | A national shortage of specialist processing facilities, and storage areas at full capacity |
| Is it permanent | No. The council calls it temporary and says work is being done |
| What they suggest instead | Book a bulky collection, use a retailer take-back scheme, or use a specialist waste collection company |
| Bulky collection | One free collection per financial year, then £30 per collection, up to five items |
| Storing it | The council suggests holding on to the appliance until normal service resumes |
Source: Leeds City Council.
The council is pointing at private collectors, in its own words
The council is explicitly pointing people at private collectors, which is unusual and worth reading carefully. Their notice says the restriction does not affect retailer take-back schemes or specialist waste collection companies, because those have different collection and storage arrangements. That is the council telling you, in its own words, that the route it cannot offer right now still exists elsewhere.
Right now there is no council tip route for a fridge in Leeds. The choices are a bulky collection at £30 unless it is your free one, a retailer take-back when you buy a replacement, storing it, or a licensed collector.
The trade waste line
No council in this list accepts fridges from a trade or business, and that catches more people than it should. A landlord clearing a flat, a letting agent, a builder stripping a kitchen, anyone whose fridge came out of paid work. The household route is closed to all of them regardless of which council area they are in and regardless of whether the tip is currently accepting fridges at all.
That is the duty of care in section 34 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. The liability sits with whoever produced the waste.
What it costs with Kruze
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Fridge or freezer | from £60 |
| Washing machine | £45 |
| Tumble dryer | £54 |
| Television | £45 |
| Single item or minimum charge | from £24.99 |
Every price includes labour, disposal and a waste transfer note. We collect from wherever the appliance stands, including a cellar or an upstairs flat, and we do the lifting. There is no permit to arrange, no booking window, and no height barrier to clear.
Frequently asked questions
How long will the Leeds suspension last?
The council has not given a date. It calls the restriction temporary and says significant work is being done, but the cause is a national shortage of specialist processing plant rather than anything Leeds controls, so nobody local can promise a reopening.
Is my free annual bulky collection still available for a fridge?
Yes. Every Leeds household gets one free collection per financial year and further ones at £30, and a fridge counts within the five items. That is the cheapest route while the tips are shut, provided you have not used it.
Kirkstall takes asbestos, so why not fridges?
Different problem. Asbestos goes to a transfer station under a booking system. Fridges need degassing plant, and that is the capacity that has run out.
Can I put a fridge in a skip?
No. Skips will not take fridges, because the coolant and foam have to be degassed separately before anything else happens to the unit. A fridge in a skip contaminates the whole load.
Can I scrap it for the metal instead?
Not legally, not as a whole appliance. It has to be degassed at a licensed facility first. A scrap dealer taking an intact fridge off you is not doing it properly.
Does it need to be empty and defrosted?
Yes please. Empty it, defrost it, and if you can, tape the door shut. It makes the lift safer and stops water going everywhere.
Book a fridge collection in Leeds
Send a photo on WhatsApp and you get a fixed price back, usually within minutes. No call out charge, and the price quoted is the price paid.
Call or WhatsApp 07436 120271.
Fridge rules in the other areas we cover
Two of these seven councils have suspended fridge acceptance entirely this month, so the answer genuinely depends on where you are.
See also: the Leeds asbestos rules and the Leeds tip van permit rules.
Written by Sandeep KV, Founder of Kruze. Kruze is a licensed waste carrier based in Leeds, Waste Carrier Licence CBDU597687, serving Leeds, Bradford, Halifax, Huddersfield, Wakefield, Harrogate and Barnsley. Call or WhatsApp 07436 120271.
Also worth checking before you load the car: plasterboard at the Leeds tip.
The other big item that will not go in a bin or a skip is a mattress. See mattresses at the Leeds tip.
The other end of the same trip, and the one with the tightest limits: soil and rubble at the Leeds tip.
The other item councils handle as a separate stream: tyres at the Leeds tip.
Prefer somebody else to carry it? Our Leeds rubbish removal service is a licensed two person collection, fixed price before we start.