Be Cool With Professional Junk Refrigerator Disposal

[This post was previously published in September 2016. It has been revised and updated to present the most accurate information.]

Do you have an old refrigerator that you're replacing? Maybe you already did and now it's taking up space in your garage! Then you need reliable refrigerator disposal.

Maybe you recently upgraded to a new high-tech refrigerator. If so, it's likely one that comes complete with temperature sensors, a water filtration system, energy efficiency and maybe even wi-fi smart technology.

So, how cool is that, right?

And, while the new unit may be wonderful, what did you do with the old fridge? If it’s still sitting in your garage or out on the back porch, that's not a good thing, is it? Maybe it's sitting out there because you probably know that refrigerator disposal is a challenging task for anyone.

Not only are refrigerators one of the heaviest types of appliances - about 300 pounds on average - but they also need to be disposed of in the right way or they can release chemicals that are harmful to the environment.

Your Refrigerated Appliances Need More Than DIY Removal

It's estimated that approximately ten million refrigerators/freezers, over six million window air conditioning units, and nearly one million dehumidifiers are disposed of each year. And that's just in the United States!

Not only are these units bulky, heavy and large, they also take up a great deal of landfill space if they get dumped there. Unfortunately, many of them do. 

And this requires a few things.

There are, in fact a few federal and state laws regarding proper refrigerator disposal. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) website:

"When household appliances are taken out of service, federal law requires that: (1) all refrigerant be recovered prior to dismantling or disposal (40 CFR Part 82 Subpart F); and (2) universal waste (e.g., mercury), used oil, and PCBs be properly managed and stored (40 CFR Parts 273, 279, 761).

State laws may have additional requirements. For example, in 2006, California introduced a law requiring entities that remove materials such as mercury, used oils, PCBs, and refrigerants from appliances be certified by the state (AB 2277 EXIT). Similarly, some states require that certain durable appliance materials be recycled. At this time, no federal or state laws require that appliance foam be recovered;"

Household refrigerators and freezers that were manufactured before 1995 typically contain significant amounts of chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) refrigerant. In addition, many residential air-conditioning units and dehumidifiers contain hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC) refrigerant.

CFCs and HCFCs are ozone-depleting substances (ODS) that, if released into the environment, can destroy the ozone layer. Moreover, CFC and HCFC refrigerants are also considered to be significant “greenhouse gases" and their release may contribute to climate change.

Most refrigerators and freezers manufactured since 1995 and window air-conditioning units and dehumidifiers manufactured since 2010 contain ozone-friendly hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants. However, these refrigerants still need to be carefully handled because they are also considered greenhouse gases.

In addition to refrigerant, refrigerators and freezers manufactured before 2005 are insulated with foam that contains substances that contribute to both ozone depletion and climate change. Only units manufactured since 2005 contain foam blowing agents that are considered to be ozone and climate friendly.

Air-conditioners and dehumidifiers do not contain foam.

According to the EPA website:

"Older refrigerators/freezers contain ozone-depleting refrigerants and/or foam blowing agents, depending on the year they were manufactured. In addition to depleting the ozone layer, these substances are also potent greenhouse gases (GHGs) that contribute to climate change when emitted to the atmosphere. While the refrigerants used in newly manufactured units are still potent GHGs, these appliances do not contain ozone depleting substances (ODS) and are significantly more energy efficient than older models.

Similarly, window air conditioners and dehumidifiers contain environmentally-harmful refrigerants, and the older units consume significantly more energy than the newer ones.

To reduce energy demand, ozone depletion, and global climate impacts, it is critical that older units be permanently removed from the energy grid and properly disposed of so that environmentally-harmful refrigerants and foam blowing agents are captured and recycled or destroyed."

And, for proper refrigerator disposal, there is the matter of the door.

In California, as well as some other states, it is illegal to dump or abandon your old refrigerator without removing the door first. Here is the text from the California Penal Code:

"Any person who discards or abandons or leaves in any place accessible to children any refrigerator, icebox, deep-freeze locker, clothes dryer, washing machine, or other appliance, having a capacity of one and one-half cubic feet or more, which is no longer in use, and which has not had the door removed or the hinges and such portion of the latch mechanism removed to prevent latching or locking of the door, is guilty of a misdemeanor."

Because of all these requirements, along with the fact that the darned things are so heavy, bulky, awkward and dangerous to move, load and unload, it makes sense to outsource the job. 

Refrigerator Disposal Works Best With Junk Removal Experts

Junk King provides an efficient, safe and eco-friendly refrigerator disposal service to make the whole process easy for you. Our experienced refrigerator removal team will have the manpower to haul off that old fridge without damaging any of your home on the way out.

We’ll do all the heavy lifting - no need to carry items out to the curb. Finally, we’ll make sure that the refrigerator is disposed of at a proper recycling facility so that it doesn’t do any harm to our ecosystem.

Ready to get rid of your old refrigerator? It’s as simple as 1, 2, 3. You make an appointment by booking online above or by calling 1.888.888.JUNK (5865).

Our professional and insured refrigerator disposal team will show up at your home or office; we call 15 minutes before we arrive on site and we’ll give you a free estimate based on how much room your items take up in our truck. You point and we haul your old fridge into our junk removal trucks, with no hidden fees.