How to Recycle White Goods
Make Sure Your Old Appliance Gets a Second Life
Recycling large home appliances, also called white goods, is a good way to reduce waste and help the environment.
With some planning and finding your local options, you can recycle your refrigerator, washing machine, dryer, air conditioner, microwave oven, or other appliance easily when you no longer need it.
This article gives tips on the best ways to recycle white goods. It also explains why recycling them benefits the environment.
Take Appliances to Your Local Recycling Center
Many cities have centers that accept white goods. This is often the easiest and cheapest way to recycle them.
Find Your Closest Location
Check your city website to find information on white goods recycling drop-off locations and rules in your area. Here are some key things to look for:
- Center address and hours it opens
- Costs or fees to drop off each appliance
- What types of white goods they accept
- Any preparation they need you to do before drop-off
You can also call your local city or county offices to help you find the closest center.
Prepare Items for Drop-Off
Follow any directions from the reclamation center on removing doors, shelves, etc. Remove any food from refrigerators and freezers. They often need you to take off appliance doors and lids.
See if they require you to remove any steel parts before dropping off. This is called de-metalling.
Make sure you properly drain any appliances with chemicals like Freon. Trained technicians should handle this.
Schedule a Pickup
Many appliance stores will pick up and recycle your old appliance when they deliver a new one. This is convenient if buying from a local store.
Ask what fees may apply for them to haul away and recycle the old appliance. There may be extra charges for them to remove steel from refrigerators or drain chemicals properly.
Donate Appliances That Still Work
If your appliance still works, consider donating to a charity or selling online. Some options:
- Local charities – Many accept donated appliances to give to needy families or sell in their thrift stores.
- Sell online – List on sites like Craigslist and online marketplace to find a new home for working appliances.
- Freecycle networks – Give away usable appliances for free to others in your community.
Donating appliances that still work helps others. Just make sure you clean them and verify they work properly before donating.
Pro Tip:
Check if there are any second hand dealers or appliance resellers in your area before discarding older models. They may be willing to purchase your used appliances and resell them. This keeps them in use longer.
Use Council Bulk Trash Days
See if your waste management provider has bulk trash pick-up days. On these days, you can leave large items like appliances on the curb for them to collect.
This is a handy disposal method. But only use it for appliances that don’t work. Donate working ones instead.
Hire a Commercial Recycler
For a fee, you can hire a company to pick up your appliance and recycle it properly. Prices vary based on your location and appliance size.
Research to find responsible local companies. Ask about their business recycling practices and where they send your appliance. Good recyclers process appliances in an eco-friendly way.
Why Recycle White Goods?
Reprocessing appliances is important for several reasons:
- Saves landfill space – Appliances take up a lot of room in landfills. It reduces waste.
- Reuses materials – Heavy metals, plastics and glass from old domestic appliances can become new products.
- Protects the environment – It prevents hazardous materials like lead entering the environment.
- Conserves natural resources – Reusing valuable materials means fewer new resources require extracting.
- Saves energy – Refurbishing an appliance often uses less energy than manufacturing a brand new one.
Conclusion
Recycling white goods and large appliances allows you to reuse valuable raw materials.
With some research on local options, you can easily find a good way to dispose of your old refrigerator, washer or appliance.
Sustainable material management protects the environment.
