Now that you have your brand new, or new to you, appliance, here's what you can do with the old ones. If you are lucky enough to have your refrigerator or dishwasher hauled away by an installer, you might want to double-check that they have a plan in place for dealing with the waste responsibly. Most commercial retailers such as Home Depot and Sears follow the EPA's Responsible Appliance Disposal (RAD) guidelines which have rules around the recovery of refrigerant, used oil, mercury, and other materials which should not end up in a landfill. If you are handling this yourself, you will want to do a little investigation as to what is acceptable in your area for means of disposal. Follow along with APG&E to learn what to do with old appliances.
What You Should Do With Your Old Appliances
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Sell your appliances
If your appliance is still in good working order, why not sell it to someone who could use it! There are many outlets to list your item; facebook, a neighborhood app, OfferUp, and your local classifieds are just a few. To get a better idea of how much you should list your appliance for, try using a depreciation calculator such as this one found online. If the extra cash isn't as important as getting it out of your house, you might even consider listing it as free with pickup.
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Donate It
Some charities will even pick up the item from you, talk about your no-hassle write off! Before heading to the charity of your choice, be sure to call ahead to make sure that they are accepting large appliances. A few organizations to reach out to: Goodwill**, The Salvation Army, and Habitat for Humanity Restores. Local churches and community centers may also be aware of someone in need and are good resources. Remember to get a donation receipt for your taxes.
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Haul It Away
Some cities will pick up "large trash" on certain days of the month if you leave it curbside. Not all cities offer this perk. Call your local waste collection agency or department of public works (or look online) for information on what you can and cannot leave out for trash collection. There are other professional "junk" haulers that will usually take appliances. 1-800-GOT-JUNK and Junk Kings are two of the most recognizable ones, but plenty of other companies are available.
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Scrap It/Recycle It
Arca Recycling has a program with certain utilities to pick up your old appliance and recycle it for free. In many cases, you also qualify for a rebate. Check here*** to see if this offer is available in your area. Another option would be to scrap out your appliance for parts. This is usually best left to the professionals unless you have some experience. Try this scrap yard finder to locate one near you.
Related Post: When to pull the plug on you appliances to save you on energy costs
**Did you know that Goodwill has an online shopping/auction site? Now that our houses are cleaned out from the quarantine, fill them back up again for a good cause. Warning! It can be pretty addictive as there are some neat finds!
***Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, the program may be temporarily suspended in some areas or running with more restrictions around pickups (not able to enter the house to pick up old appliances).
For more information, be sure to visit our blog.
