The investment will see a new fridge recycling line installed at Enva’s Grantham facility, adding around 8,000 tonnes of annual processing capacity once fully operational in February 2028.
The new line will bring the Grantham site’s fridge processing capability to around 33,000 tonnes a year.
According to the company, the investment will increase its overall treatment capacity to more than 2.3 million appliances, or over 100,000 tonnes a year.
Enva said the line will replace older technology at the site and will be installed alongside its existing fridge processing operation. This will allow the company to maintain its current treatment capability and customer services while the new infrastructure is being developed.
Enva’s investment in WEEE recycling
The Grantham project forms part of a wider programme of investment by Enva to increase the scale and resilience of its UK e-waste recycling infrastructure.
This includes a new 124,000 square foot fridge recycling facility at Crossways Commercial Park in Dartford, which is expected to become operational in February 2027.
The Dartford facility is being designed to process approximately 35,000 tonnes of WEEE and fridges each year.
Alongside the permanent infrastructure investment, Enva is also introducing additional temporary storage at Bury St Edmunds to support customers before the Dartford facility becomes operational.
The short-term provision has capacity for 5,000 tonnes of storage and will provide an onward treatment route for appliances affected by current capacity constraints. Material will be stored temporarily before being processed at Dartford as the new facility comes online.
The Bury St Edmunds provision follows Environment Agency approval earlier this year for Enva to temporarily store up to 2,000 tonnes – approximately 50,000 fridges – at its Corby facility.
Fridge recycling pressures
The investment comes against a backdrop of significant constraints on fridge recycling capacity in the UK.
In recent months, a growing number of local authorities have warned that they may have to suspend the acceptance of fridges and freezers at household waste recycling centres because available treatment capacity has become constrained.
Unlike many other waste streams, refrigeration appliances cannot easily be diverted to alternative treatment facilities when capacity is reduced.
The concentration of fridge recycling infrastructure has left the sector particularly vulnerable to disruption, with available capacity coming under sustained pressure following a series of operational and commercial setbacks in recent years.
However, the situation has begun to ease, with some councils now rolling back restrictions as additional treatment and storage capacity becomes available.
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