Old refrigerators and freezers can drain more energy than newer, high-efficiency models. That’s why the Focus on Energy program is asking people to consider recycling their old appliances. “Those old refrigerators or freezers that you might have out in the garage or your basement could really use a lot of energy,” says Sarah Platt with Focus on Energy — Wisconsin utilities’ statewide program for energy efficiency and renewable energy.
Platt says Focus on Energy’s Appliance Recycling Program offers a $40 incentive to customers who take their old refrigerator or freezer off the grid and have it recycled. Your appliance is hauled away and delivered to their appliance recycling facility in Franklin, Wisconsin. “The fridge or freezer gets completely disassembled,” she says, “And 95 percent of those materials are recycled.”
Platt explains, it’s a great program for the environment, keeping discarded appliances out of the landfills and disposing of potentially harmful hazardous materials in an environmentally-friendly manner.
Focus on Energy has recycled nearly 60,000 refrigerators and freezers since 2012.