A FIRM from the North-East is helping businesses scale the fridge mountain with one of the UK's first fully approved recycling units.

Designed to deal with the thousands of large chiller cabinets and freezer units disposed of each year by supermarkets and shops, the new facility allows for the recycling of all components plus the safe removal of ozone depleting chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).

European legislation has reclassified fridges as hazardous waste because of the CFCs used in each units' insulating foam. It is no longer allowed to simply crush, scrap and landfill fridges.

Chris Musgrave, chairman of JCM Group in Billingham, the company behind the initiative, said: "We can process more than 6,000 fridges a year.

"Everyone has been concentrating on ways to deal with domestic fridges but the retail sector is also facing a major problem and has to cope with much bigger individual units that require an initial dismantling process."

On the ten-acre industrial site at the town's Cowpen Industrial Estate, where the company has its head office, units have been constructed to accommodate the fridge recycling process.JCM, which employs some 200 people, has already won orders from supermarket firms Tesco, Somerfield and Budgen and has just received its official licence from the Environmental Agency - one of the first company's in the UK to do so.

Mr Musgrave said: "Our service is now fully operational and we will increase the size of our premises and add to our workforce as the through-put builds up.

"I anticipate that by early next year we will have created another 30 jobs.

"We can also evaluate if the units actually need to be scrapped or if they can be refurbished or reused."We already operate on a national basis and therefore have the infrastructure and transport systems to make this a viable and cost effective service."

Costs for handling each unit will vary from approximately £60 to £100 depending on quantities and size.

Information on this fridge recycling service can be obtained from the JCM Group on (01642) 566003.