The 10-year-old refrigerator you’re getting ready to send to a landfill contains more than 120 pounds of recyclable steel. Don’t throw it away; recycle it.
If your old refrigerator is still in good operating condition, consider donating it to a charity such as a shelter that can send someone over to pick it up. Although any refrigerator made before 1993 uses about twice the electricity to run as new, energy efficient models, a needy organization might appreciate having any working appliance.
Buy your new refrigerator from a company that will haul away and recycle your old one. Some companies will pay you for the old unit or offer you a rebate on a new one if you let them have the old one.
Look for local organizations that recycle appliances. Check with your city to learn if it has a refrigerator recycling program. Find a local scrap metal recycler to haul the relic away. Ask for a guarantee that the unit will be properly recycled.