Fridge and freezers are useful appliances to keep your food cold. What happens when they stop working correctly? Can you take them to your local rubbish tip?

The answer to this is no, although many people do. The better option is to get a contractor or a specialist company to take the hard work of disposing of your fridge or freezer safely, reducing the risk of leaking greenhouse gases into the environment.

How To Recycle Your Fridge or Freezer

How do you recycle a fridge or freezer in an eco-friendly way that does not impact on climate change or your environment? 

Be green and take part in fridge recycling, making an active stand against waste.

Before you leap to getting rid of your old fridge or freezer, you should think about trying to get it repaired either by yourself or a refrigerator repair person.

However, if your fridge or freezer is not functioning correctly and is past repair, eats energy, or contains HFCs (hydrochlorofluorocarbons) or CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons). It would be best if you considered replacing it for an energy-efficient fridge-freezer. When you decide to relegate your fridge or freezer to a recycling centre, make sure that you do this in an eco-friendly way to protect your environment.

Recycling your fridge or freezer is a brilliant way of making something old into something new and functional. 

Disposing of an Unwanted Fridge

Over twelve million fridges are disposed of every year, though this is only a small fraction and not the whole story. Many fridges are chemically filled with foam recycled insulation. Most of the metal from fridges and freezers is easily recyclable. The other elements are usually crushed, releasing greenhouse gases and other pollutants into the atmosphere, adding to climate change issues.

To find the regulations regarding the disposal of fridges and freezers in your local area, you will need to do a little research on the internet or contact your local council for advice.

It would be best if you also took the time to find out where your fridge or freezer is taken, once a specialist removal company has removed it. Although you have disposed of the refrigerator or freezer, you are still responsible for what happens to it and how it is disposed of. Check where the company has transferred the fridge or freezer and get a copy of paperwork.

An alternative approach could be to donate the fridge or freezer to a homeless shelter, refuge or charity. You could also approach an upcycling company who may be able to repurpose your appliance in a safe eco way. 

RAD stands for the Responsible Appliance Disposal Program and many companies are signed up to this program to ensure that appliances are disposed of in an eco-friendly way. It’s best to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and the waste being taken to landfill sites.

When you purchase a replacement fridge or freezer, look for appliances with eco-friendly qualities and be mindful about what you will do with the appliance when it reaches at the end of its serviceable life. 

With RAD, the fridge is removed and transported safely to an appointed recycling centre, which draws on the recyclable materials and repurposes them. By taking this approach, 80-90% of materials are removed and reused and greenhouse gases are removed from the foam insulation, safely and with a reduced risk of environmental damage. Additional metals such as ferrous and non-ferrous plastics are separated from the fridge and recycled.

Compare this to an appliance that’s haphazardly dumped in a landfill site. In this scenario, the mercury and used oils will leach out into the environment. 

So, for the minimum impact on the planet, you should be mindful and dispose of fridges and freezers appropriately.

Upcycling That Old Cold Box

If you’re keen on upcycling, another alternative for your old fridge or freezer is to get creative with it.  Rather than getting rid of it, why not repurpose it to make a new work of art or furniture that you can turn into a functional creation? You could turn that fridge or freezer into a cupboard, sofa, wardrobe, or something else more spectacular. You can discover more ideas by clicking this link here.

However, you must make sure that any chemicals are removed safely and do not cause any damage to the natural world. If someone else is doing the hard work of removing the chemical elements, and any mercury traces, make sure that they are suitably qualified and know exactly what they are doing. 

As the appliance owner, you will be held responsible if any chemicals cause damage to water tables or the natural environment. 

Finding an eco-friendly approach means taking significant steps to help the planet, and improve your green credentials. If you don’t take the necessary steps when disposing of an old fridge or freezer, they can become a ticking time bomb for the environment. Every little green milestone that you take can and will cause a ripple to change the planet’s climate one strand at a time.

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