New legislation covering the disposal of fridges and freezers could leave loss adjusters and insurers with large storage fees to pay on commercial policies.
European Council Regulation 2037/2000 - introduced in the UK on 1 January - makes it illegal to dispose of fridges and freezers without deactivating the ozone destroying substances like CFCs, contained within them.
However, in the UK there are no disposal facilities, so fridges and freezers have to be stored while appropriate facilities are set up.
At a commercial level, local authorities are not obliged to dispose of waste. This could leave companies that have damaged refrigeration equipment, or their insurers and loss adjusters, with large storage costs.
