Just because a refrigerators or air conditioners are no longer needed doesn’t mean that’s the end of the line for them. These behemoths are a massive example of a complex material that not only contains toxic items, but is also a combination of many different types of recyclable material that can be put to new and different use through the help of a private recycler.
In fact, most urban areas in the US, as a result of a partnership with the department of energy, there are refrigerator recycling programs that will take your old refrigeration unit away without cost to you. This is an improvement over just a few years ago, when most people in North America had to pay someone to pick the items up and ensure that the various materials will be recycled and handled responsibly. In one recent example, a large DOE-funded sculpture garden was made entirely from old refrigerator.
