Woking has suspended fridge and freezer collections with no end date. Martyrs Lane still takes them, and collections already booked will still go ahead.

Woking Borough Council has stopped collecting unwanted fridges and freezers from homes, and has not said when it will start again. Every other kind of bulky waste collection carries on as normal.

The cause is not local. There are only a limited number of plants in the country able to process fridges and freezers, which need specialist treatment because of the gases in them, and several have gone down at once (Woking Borough Council).

The council lists three things that have cut national capacity:

  • fires at treatment sites
  • the closure of a processor
  • higher demand during the recent hot weather

Joint Waste Solutions, which runs the collections for Woking, adds that equipment breakdowns have played a part, and that the heatwaves “caused a higher than usual rate of fridges and freezers to stop working” (Joint Waste Solutions).

The block on collections comes from further up the chain. SUEZ operates Surrey’s waste disposal sites on behalf of Surrey County Council, and it has temporarily restricted deliveries of fridges and freezers from the county’s district and borough councils. Space at Surrey’s disposal sites has become limited as a result.

Woking is not alone. The council says similar restrictions have been brought in by a number of local authorities across England. Within Surrey the pause also covers Elmbridge, Mole Valley and Surrey Heath, the three other boroughs in the Joint Waste Solutions partnership.

Diagram showing why Woking cannot collect fridges: treatment plants hit by site fires, equipment breakdowns and one processor closing; SUEZ, which runs Surrey's disposal sites, restricting council deliveries; the four Joint Waste Solutions boroughs of Woking, Elmbridge, Mole Valley and Surrey Heath pausing collections; and no kerbside collection as a result. Martyrs Lane Community Recycling Centre, retailer take-back and licensed private collectors remain available, and bookings already made will be honoured

If you have already booked

Your collection will still happen. Joint Waste Solutions is explicit on this point: if you have already booked a collection through your council, “your booking will be honoured and your collection will go ahead as planned”.

The council’s own release does not mention existing bookings at all, so this is worth knowing before you ring to cancel.

What it means for you

If you need to get rid of a fridge or freezer in Woking right now, there are four routes and the council has ranked them:

  1. Take it to Martyrs Lane Community Recycling Centre. The council names this site specifically and says it continues to accept fridges and freezers.
  2. Use a retailer take-back service if you are buying a replacement. Joint Waste Solutions notes this usually costs extra.
  3. Arrange a private collection, but check the company is properly licensed first. An unlicensed operator fly-tipping your appliance can leave you liable.
  4. Store it safely at home until collections resume, if none of the above works.

What you must not do is put it outside. Both the council and Joint Waste Solutions warn against leaving appliances outside properties or disposing of them any other way, because that “could constitute fly-tipping”.

Ordinary bin collections are unaffected. Collection days for your street are in our guide to Woking bin collection days.

How long for

Neither body has given a date. The council says the situation “will remain under review and collections will resume as soon as it is possible to do so”. Joint Waste Solutions says a solution is being devised and that it will update residents “as soon as we have confirmation that the service is able to return to normal”.

The suspension was announced by Joint Waste Solutions on Thursday 17 September and by the council on Friday 18 September.

It lands in a year of change for the service. Veolia takes over Woking’s bin rounds on 6 June 2027 under a 21 year contract, as we reported in our story on the £632m waste deal.

Frequently asked questions

Can I still book a fridge or freezer collection in Woking?

No. Woking Borough Council has temporarily suspended collections of fridges and freezers. Bulky waste collections for all other items are continuing as normal.

What about a collection I have already booked?

Joint Waste Solutions says existing bookings will be honoured and those collections will go ahead as planned.

Where can I take a fridge or freezer in Woking?

Martyrs Lane Community Recycling Centre, which the council says is still accepting them. You can also ask the retailer to take the old appliance when a replacement is delivered, or use a properly licensed private collector.

Why has this happened?

A national shortage of fridge and freezer treatment capacity, caused by site fires, equipment breakdowns and the closure of a processor, combined with more appliances failing during the hot weather. SUEZ, which runs Surrey’s waste disposal sites, has restricted deliveries from the county’s district and borough councils as a result.

Which other areas are affected?

Elmbridge, Mole Valley and Surrey Heath, the other three boroughs served by Joint Waste Solutions. The council says a number of local authorities across England have introduced similar restrictions.

Sources

Checked against the sources above on 20 September 2026. Neither body has given a date for collections resuming; check the council’s own page before booking.