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Northern Ireland Office

Answer

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what facilities are available in Northern Ireland for the disposal of refrigerators; and how many refrigerators were disposed of in Northern Ireland in each year since 2000. [191952] Angela Smith: The Department of the Environment in Northern Ireland in conjunction with the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government in the Republic of Ireland facilitated an exercise which led to all Councils in Northern Ireland, and 33 of the 34 Councils in the Republic of Ireland, contracting with M Baker Recycling Limited for the management of waste domestic fridges and freezers. The refrigeration equipment is collected and transported to M Baker's facility in England to be demanufactured. The contract will run until August 2005, at which point responsibility for disposal transfers to the manufacturers. There are no facilities available in Northern Ireland that can dispose of whole refrigerators containing hazardous components including ozone depleting substances such as chlorofluorocarbons, hydrochloroflurocarbons and hydrochlorocarbons. However there is now one facility in Northern Ireland that is being commissioned to demanufacture refrigeration equipment. Prior to the introduction of the Ozone Depleting Substances Regulations on the 1 January 2002, fridges could be disposed of to landfill. My Department is not aware of any refrigerators being disposed of in Northern Ireland since 2001. My Department does not hold statistical information for the number of refrigerators disposed of in Northern Ireland for the years 2000 and 2001, nor comprehensive and readily accessible statistical information on the number of refrigerators transported to GB or elsewhere in Europe for disposal since 2001.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

425 c1355-6W; 191952

Session

2003-04

Subjects

EU law Hazardous substances Northern Ireland Refrigerators Waste disposal

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk