When you replace large appliances in your home, whether it be washers, dryers, refrigerators and freezers, air conditioners, or any other large item, you will have your old appliance to contend with. Improper disposal can come with considerable fines, even for small appliances. You more than likely don’t have room to store it, and it is just in the way. You have several options to get rid of your old items, and some ways are easier on you than others. Read on to find out how to rid yourself of these things.
Why Are Household Appliances Hard to Dispose of?
Large appliances are hard to dispose of because you can’t usually just put them out with the garbage cans for pickup. Unless, your city has a large item pickup day that occurs occasionally. You should always follow a responsible appliance disposal, (RAD) program for disposal. Appliances are always made of mixed materials, so they can’t go straight to a recycling center and be processed. And, many appliances contain chemicals, such as dehumidifiers, freezers, refrigerators and air conditioners. These items contain Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBS) or a type of refrigerant which is ozone depleting and causes significant damage with it’s released into the atmosphere or ozone layer.
Other harmful chemicals include Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCS), which damage the environment. Your large appliances may also contain cadmium, arsenic or many other damaging chemicals. However, you do have some options that are EPA’s responsible appliance removal services.
Are Your Old Appliances in Working Order?
Many people upgrade their appliances to newer versions when they see a good sale on them because the newer models are more energy efficient. In this case, your old appliances are most probably still working, and you should properly dispose of them.
Sell Working Appliances
You can list your old appliances online to sell them if they are still in working condition. This will save you the effort and time of needing to transport them anywhere. If they don’t sell pretty quickly, you can reduce the price, ask the buyer to offer you a price, or simply give the item away for free to get it out of your home.
Donate Working Appliances
Contact local thrift stores and charities, such as Goodwill and The Salvation Army. Donating items helps the less fortunate with items that may be needed badly but they can’t afford them. Ask the charities if they offer removal services or if you need to deliver the item to them.
Contact Appliance Repair Services for Working Appliances
Many appliance repair service companies will remove your working or non-working appliance and fine tune them while replacing some minor parts to resell the item themselves. They may charge you a pickup fee, or it may be free. For this service, you may need to shop around a bit.
Curbside Appliance Removal For Non-Working Appliances
You can look up appliance removal services in your area. This may be listed as junk removal services, or a moving company also handles these items as well. The contractor will come and load up and take away your large appliances for you. You should realize that there is usually a fee for this type of service, but it saves you from needing to load the heavy items and find somewhere to take them.
Some cities may have heavy trash day as well. You may have to take your large appliance to a specific location on a certain day yourself, or they may pick it up curbside on a particular day.
Pickup Services From The New Appliance Retailer
Many companies that sell large appliances offer you to have your new item delivered and set up for you, and they will offer appliance recycling too. Appliance removal may be included with the delivery and set up fee, or it may be a small separate fee.
Contact Metal Recyclers
Small scale metal recyclers will usually pick up appliances for a small fee, or maybe for free if the current prices are up. Large scale metal recyclers usually want you to transport the items to their location.
How to Prepare Large Appliances for Transport to Heavy Trash Locations
If you’ve found a location for heavy trash day nearby, you should take some precautions in transporting your item to get rid of old appliances. Unplug the appliance for at least three days before moving it out to let it cool completely. Tape the doors closed on any appliance with duct tape so they remain closed while you transport them. Use a dolly to move the large appliance to a truck or a trailer for transport because they are usually far too heavy for one person to move.
Otherwise, you can enlist the help of a friend or neighbor if necessary. It’s much easier to load heavy and bulky items into a trailer instead of a truck because trailers are not as high from the ground. You can either borrow a trailer from someone or rent one for a nominal fee. When you get to the heavy trash location, the workers there may unload your item for you, or they may not. It’s best to ask upfront so you know if you need a helper.
It may take a bit of research and homework, as well as phone calls, to find a good disposal method for your large appliances, whether they are working or not. But ultimately, you have peace of mind that they are taken care of without releasing or leaching harmful chemicals into the atmosphere or the ground.
If none of these options are possible, then the best way to get rid of non-working appliances would be curbside removal or dropping them off at a heavy trash location. Scheduling an appointment with Dielman Moving & Storage can help make this process easier and more efficient with their free estimates. Start today and help save the planet!
