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Check your electric utility first, since bounty programs often pay you and haul it away. Refrigerant has to be recovered by a technician, so a fridge or freezer never goes curbside. Do not assume retailer haul-away is free: it is usually tied to buying and taking delivery of a replacement. An appliance left at the curb may simply be landfilled. Before you go, confirm that a local recycling center accepts the material in its current condition.
- Recycling route
- Check locally
Refrigerators, freezers, washers, dryers, dishwashers, and window air conditioners. Mostly steel, but the refrigerant and the insulating foam are what determine how one should be handled.
Where to Recycle
- Electric utility bounty and pickup programs, which often pay a rebate
- Scrap metal yards and appliance recyclers
- Retailer haul-away on delivery of a replacement, usually for a fee
- Municipal bulky-item collection, booked in advance
- Charities and habitat organizations, for working appliances
How to Prepare
- 1Check your electric utility's bounty or pickup program first, since these often pay a rebate
- 2Confirm eligibility before booking, since utility programs commonly require the unit to be working and above a minimum size or age
- 3Ask what retailer haul-away costs, since it usually depends on buying and taking delivery of a replacement
- 4Disconnect water, gas, and power safely, and have gas appliances disconnected by a qualified person
- 5Leave refrigerant recovery to a certified technician; it is not a homeowner task
- 6Only remove doors if your recycler or pickup program asks, since rules differ
- 7Do not leave an appliance at the curb hoping someone collects it, since it may just be landfilled
Special Instructions
One correction first: EPA's Responsible Appliance Disposal program is over. EPA's own page now presents RAD in the past tense, covering 2006 to 2025, and the old program URL no longer resolves. Do not treat it as a live umbrella. Utility bounty programs run independently of it and survive, and EPA still advises checking your utility first, though they carry eligibility rules such as the unit needing to work or meet a minimum size. Refrigerant is the reason a fridge cannot be handled casually: it must be recovered by a certified technician before the metal is processed. Older units may also contain mercury switches and relays, contaminated oils, and PCBs, which have to be removed under federal rules before shredding. The regulatory line between small and large appliance is about refrigerant quantity rather than physical size, with five pounds or less defining a small appliance under the Clean Air Act.
Environmental Impact
Even a properly recycled fridge leaks. Metal, refrigerant, and compressor oil are recovered, but there is no requirement to capture the blowing agent in the foam insulation, which is typically emitted during shredding, and the glass, plastics, and foam are generally landfilled. Capturing those foam blowing agents was the entire purpose of the RAD program, and RAD has ended. Against that, replacing a genuinely old refrigerator with an efficient one usually saves more in electricity than the disposal costs environmentally, which is why utility bounty programs exist and why they insist the old unit be surrendered rather than moved to a garage as a second fridge.
Sustainable Alternatives
- Donate a working appliance to a charity or habitat organization
- Repair rather than replace, since many failures are a single component
- Use a utility bounty program that pays for the old unit
- Sell working units locally
Official guidance and resources
Accepted items and drop-off rules can vary by location. Check the destination before you go.
What’s Accepted
Not Accepted
- Refrigerators and freezers with refrigerant still in them at a scrap yard
- Appliances in curbside recycling or ordinary bulky trash without arrangement
- Non-working units at most utility bounty programs
- Gas appliances disconnected by an unqualified person
Hazardous Components
- Refrigerant, which must be recovered by a certified technician
- Blowing agents in foam insulation, typically emitted during shredding
- Mercury switches and relays in older units
- PCBs and contaminated oils in older capacitors and compressors
FAQs
How do I dispose of an old refrigerator?
Check your electric utility first, since bounty programs often haul it away and pay you a rebate for it. Refrigerant has to be recovered by a technician, so a fridge or freezer never goes curbside.
Will the store take my old appliance when I buy a new one?
Do not assume it is free. Retailer haul-away is usually tied to buying and taking delivery of a replacement, and often carries a fee. Confirm what is included before delivery day rather than on the doorstep.
Can I put an appliance out at the curb?
It may simply be landfilled, which wastes both the steel and the chance to recover refrigerant properly. Scrappers also take units from the curb and vent the refrigerant, which is illegal and environmentally damaging.
Why does refrigerant matter so much?
The refrigerant and the insulating foam are potent greenhouse gases, far more so than carbon dioxide by weight. Proper recovery is the single biggest environmental difference between recycling an appliance and dumping it.
What about washers, dryers, and dishwashers?
Those have no refrigerant, so they are mostly steel and easier to handle. A scrap yard will take them and may pay for the metal, and utility programs sometimes cover them alongside fridges.
Is an old appliance worth anything?
As scrap steel, a modest amount, and a utility rebate can be worth more than the metal. A working appliance is worth considerably more resold or donated, so check whether it runs before writing it off as scrap.
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