Fridge, freezer and appliance disposal in Portsmouth

Your options at a glanceSection titled Your%20options%20at%20a%20glance

If a fridge, washing machine or cooker still works, selling or donating it is normally free and keeps a usable appliance out of the waste stream. Once an appliance is broken, Portsmouth households have three main routes: take it to the Paulsgrove recycling centre yourself, book a paid Portsmouth City Council collection, or use a retailer take-back scheme when you buy a replacement. A private collection team is the fastest option when the item is heavy, plumbed in or you simply cannot get it out of the house.

Sell or donate appliances that still workSection titled Sell%20or%20donate%20appliances%20that%20still%20work

Selling locallySection titled Selling%20locally

Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree are the two platforms Portsmouth sellers use most for appliances, and both let you filter by area so local buyers can collect the same day. Clear photos, the make and model, and an honest note on age and condition (does it still cool properly, has it been serviced, are there any marks or dents) get faster replies than a bare description.

Price a working appliance well below its new cost — buyers expect a second-hand fridge, washing machine or cooker to be a bargain, not a near-new price. Be upfront that the buyer needs to arrange their own transport and, ideally, a second pair of hands, since most sellers are not set up to help carry heavy appliances out of the house.

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The British Heart Foundation runs a Portsmouth Home & Fashion store on Arundel Street and offers a free home collection service for furniture and electrical items, including fridges, freezers and washing machines. You book a collection online and your local store will contact you within a few working days to agree a date.

BHF can only take appliances that are clean, complete and in full working order — items with obvious damage, missing parts or that no longer work will be turned away on the doorstep. It is worth checking what BHF can and cannot accept before you book, since a handful of appliance types are excluded.

Take them to a recycling centreSection titled Take%20them%20to%20a%20recycling%20centre

Portsmouth's household waste recycling centre is at Paulsgrove, Port Way, Port Solent, Portsmouth PO6 4UD, run by Portsmouth City Council. It takes white goods — including fridges and freezers — free of charge, alongside baths, mattresses and general household waste.

You need to book a visit online before you go, as the centre now runs on a digital booking and permit system rather than turning cars away at busy times. Portsmouth residents get a set number of visits included with their permit, and a permit is also required if you're bringing a van or trailer. If you can't book online, the council's contact centre on 023 9284 1105 (option 5) can help with HWRC bookings and permits.

• Appliances should be brought whole, with no parts removed
• Bring the appliance yourself — the centre is a drop-off site, not a collection service
• Check the council's recycling and rubbish pages if you're unsure whether an item is accepted before you travel

Book a Portsmouth Council bulky waste collectionSection titled Book%20a%20Portsmouth%20Council%20bulky%20waste%20collection

Portsmouth City Council collects sofas, beds, white goods and other large household items through its bulky waste collection service, booked by phone on 023 9284 1105. Fridges and freezers are eligible but carry their own charge on top of the standard collection fee, since they need specialist handling for the refrigerant they contain. Items must be emptied, put out by 6am on collection day, and left somewhere easily accessible from the road at ground-floor level — crews will not enter your property or back garden to collect or help move anything.

Retailer take-back when you buy newSection titled Retailer%20take-back%20when%20you%20buy%20new

If you're buying a replacement, most large retailers will take the old appliance away when they deliver the new one. Currys offers appliance removal and recycling on delivery for as little as £15, covering washing machines, washer-dryers, tumble dryers, dishwashers, fridges, freezers, fridge-freezers and cookers — the old appliance needs to be disconnected and out of any built-in housing before the crew arrives, and a gas cooker must already be disconnected by a Gas Safe engineer.

AO includes free disconnection and removal of an old cooking, laundry or cooling appliance when you buy a new integrated replacement, taken away at the same time as delivery. If you want AO to collect an appliance on its own, without a matching new purchase, its Collect & Recycle service starts from around £30 per item. Terms and eligible appliance types vary by retailer and by order, so check the current conditions before you buy.

Let a local team collect them for youSection titled Let%20a%20local%20team%20collect%20them%20for%20you

A private collection makes most sense when an appliance is still plumbed in, stuck up a flight of stairs or in an upstairs flat, or when you need it gone on a tight timescale rather than waiting for a booked council slot. It also suits households clearing several appliances at once, or where nobody available can safely lift a heavy fridge or washing machine alone. House Clearance Portsmouth handles the disconnection, carrying and licensed disposal, so you don't need to prepare the appliance yourself first.

Which route fits your situationSection titled Which%20route%20fits%20your%20situation

Related servicesSection titled Related%20services

• White Goods Disposal
• Furniture Removal
• Rubbish Removal