EDUCATION
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Why Recycle Appliances?
 Currently,
20 states ban appliances from being dumped into landfills.- Major home appliances make up about 10% of the steel
processed by the recycling industry.
- Typically, 75% of any household appliance is made of
steel, America’s most recycled material.
- Older appliances may contain harmful materials such
as mercury and Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs); these
substances need to be removed and managed properly before
recycling an appliance. (ARCA - Appliance Recycling Centers
of America, Inc. website)
What are the effects of not recycling appliances?
- The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has regulations
regarding the venting of
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), refrigerants (Freon). No person
may vent CFCs into the air.
- Shredding PCB capacitors in appliances makes compliance
with disposal rules impossible.
- Lead and mercury found in appliances may cause environmental
problems if mishandled, shredded, or stored. (Guideline
15, ND State Department of Health Website)
- Without refrigerant recovery, about four million pounds
of ozone-depleting chemicals will escape from appliances
each year. (EPA Brochure: Disposing of Appliances with
Refrigerants)
What appliances are important to recycle?
- Appliances are generally divided into either refrigerants
(Freon) containing or ones without refrigerants.
- Refrigerants containing appliances: refrigerators,
freezers, dehumidifiers, and air conditioners.
- Appliances that do not contain refrigerants: stoves
and ranges, washers and dryers, dishwashers, and microwaves.
(SHWEC - Solid & Hazardous Waste Education Center)
What’s the Process?
- Proper appliance recycling includes the removal or management
of ammonia, antifreeze, asbestos, CFCs, chromate solutions,
batteries, mercury and PCBs. (“Guidelines for Appliance
Recycling,” J.R.’s Appliance Disposal, Inc.)
- Avoid trying to recover the refrigerant (Freon) yourself;
only a professional with proper equipment should recover
these chemicals. (EPA Brochure)
- From there, appliances are recycled, usually, using
a process, which shreds the entire product into small
pieces.
- These pieces pass under a magnet which pulls out all
the steel parts (other non-ferrous,metals should be recycled);
the remaining debris is usually composed of plastic and
glass and is then landfilled. (SHWEC -Solid & Hazardous
Waste Education Center)
- For more information concerning regulations, please
call the North Dakota Department of Health 701-328-5166.
Who can you call to recycle an appliance?
- When a new appliance is delivered, many retailers will
offer to recycle your old appliance;
however, they may charge a fee for this.
- Your community has a resource guide listing qualified
service providers. Contact a scrap dealer or your local
appliance dealer or visit: www.recyclemetal.org.
- Scrap yards and recycling centers often will accept
appliances. Some recyclers do charge fees for appliances
that contain refrigerants. (SHWEC -Solid & Hazardous
Waste Education Center)
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