When Norfolk’s Tips Stopped Taking Electricals: What the Thetford Fire Means for Families From Norwich to Ipswich, and What Skip Hire Won’t Take

For almost three months this year, a family in Norfolk with a dead vacuum cleaner or a broken toaster could not count on being able to take it to the tip. After a fire at a Thetford building used by the county’s electrical waste contractor on 16 April 2026, Norfolk’s recycling centres stopped accepting electricals and batteries. A partial service returned later that month, but the full service only came back on 13 July.

The fire was in Norfolk, but the lesson reaches well over the county line. With Christmas coming, and a new wave of gadgets, light-up toys and power tools about to arrive in family homes, it is a good moment to ask where the old ones should go.

Why skip hire is not the answer for electricals

When a service like this stops, it can be tempting to think of a skip as the way out. It rarely is. Waste management firms will refuse to collect the skip if it contains electrical items, and many businesses clearly state on their websites which items are prohibited. For example, Norwich skip hire provider easySkip lists fridges, freezers, TVs, monitors and any other electrical goods among the things that cannot go in a skip, and batteries appear on its list of hazardous waste too. The old games console, the broken keyboard and the toy with a flat battery all need a different route. Suffolk County Council’s guidance explains why the rules are so firm.

What one small battery can do

In December 2025, Suffolk County Council and Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service issued a joint warning that “Items such as toys, power tools, vapes, small gadgets and even Christmas cards can contain hidden batteries”. If these are not disposed of correctly, the warning said, they can cause huge blazes at recycling centres and waste transfer stations, or even at home.

The example it gave was close to home for many readers. In April 2025, a battery sparked a fire at a waste site at Red Lodge, near Newmarket, which “took eight days and 660,000 litres of water to extinguish”, causing £60,000 of damage. Those fires also have knock-on effects, as Norfolk families found this spring: when treatment capacity disappears, the service everybody relies on can go with it.

Where it should all go instead

The advice from both counties comes down to keeping these items out of household bins and using the right drop-off point. Suffolk’s message is simple: “Do not put batteries or items containing batteries in any of your bins at home.”

• Loose batteries: Take them to the battery recycling point at a recycling centre or a local shop. Many supermarkets and shops that sell batteries have a collection box near the door or tills.
• Toys and gadgets with sealed batteries: Suffolk’s advice is that if you are unsure whether something contains a battery, take it to a recycling centre so staff can check it, rather than putting it in a bin.
• Vapes: These count as both electricals and batteries, so they belong in the same place and not in the rubbish.
• Small electricals you are replacing: Retailers have a duty here. Government guidance says they must provide a way for customers to dispose of their old household electrical equipment when selling them a new version of the same item. It is worth asking when buying a replacement.
• Fridges and freezers: Check before you travel. Norfolk County Council restricted these to its largest centres from 6 August 2026, citing a national shortage of processing capacity.
• Anything still working: Charity shops, school fairs and local swap groups may be glad of working items, as long as they are safe and complete.

Book before you load the car

Both counties now run on appointments. In Suffolk, “You must have a booking in order to visit any of Suffolk’s Recycling Centres”, and that applies even if you only want to buy compost. Norfolk’s centres, including Norwich South on Ipswich Road and Norwich North at Horsham St Faith, also ask residents to book, up to a week ahead and at no charge.

A short routine makes all this easier, especially in a house with children:

• Keep a battery jar: A jar or tub in a cool, dry cupboard keeps used batteries out of the kitchen bin, and it can go to the recycling point every few months.
• Check before Christmas: A quick sweep of toy boxes and drawers before the new toys arrive will turn up more dead gadgets than you might expect.
• Look for hidden power: Singing cards, flashing trainers and light-up wands all count. If in doubt, assume there is a battery inside.
• Never bin a damaged battery: Anything swollen or leaking needs extra care, so keep it away from children and ask your recycling centre what to do.

Where a skip still earns its place

None of this means a skip has no part to play in family life. For a bigger clear-out, or a home project that produces old timber, broken garden furniture or rubble, it can save a lot of trips. The important thing is to go through the load first: open the drawers of that old desk, check the toy box before it goes in, and take out anything with a plug or a battery compartment.

It only takes a few minutes, and given what happened at Thetford and Red Lodge, those are minutes worth spending. A family clear-out should end with a tidier house, not a call to the fire service.