The time has finally come to get rid of your old refrigerator, which may leave you wondering who will pick up your old appliances for free. We will tell you all about it in this article.
The importance of responsible old appliance disposal
Although leaving your refrigerator by the side of the road seems to be an easy appliance disposal solution, it’s something from another era. Refrigerators contain refrigerant gases, which, if not correctly processed, can potentially emit more than a tonne of greenhouse gases (GHGs). Consequently, not recycling your fridge responsibly results in numerous environmentally harmful impacts.
To better understand, your old fridge contains the following environmentally harmful materials:
- 9 kg of insulating foam
- 125 g of refrigerant gas
- 250 g of contaminated oil
- Up to 3.5 equivalent tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2)
- Up to 2 g of mercury
- An average of 76.5 kg per unit of plastics, metal and glass
As a result, entrusting your fridge to a GoRecycle partner for recycling is the equivalent, in terms of GHGs, of using a reusable coffee cup 13,870 times. It is therefore essential to learn what options exist for disposing of your old refrigerator to recycle it responsibly.
Fridge disposal options
The following are five appliance disposal options.
Ecocentres and sorting centres
Over 260 GoRecycle official drop-off points (ecocentres, recycling centres and sorting centres) exist across Quebec to ensure that your old fridge is recycled responsibly. These drop-off points ensure the reclamation of more than 95% of appliance materials.
Find the GoRecycle drop-off point nearest you and bring in your old refrigerator.
Charities associations
Some donation centres and charitable associations across Quebec offer free pickup of old appliances when they are still working. This option gives your fridge a second life and is a gesture of goodwill.
To donate your old appliance, do a Google search for donation centres near you. Contact them to find out whether they offer free pickup of old appliances, and their terms and conditions.
Appliance pickup by your municipality
Some cities offer to pick up cumbersome cooling appliances and allow citizens to:
- Fill out an online pickup request for cumbersome cooling appliances
- Have access to set dates for refrigerator pickup
Contact your borough or municipality to find out about the availability of this service in your area.
Delivery of your new fridge
If you buy a new refrigerator, most retailers and appliance stores offer a free removal and recycling service with the purchase of a new refrigerator. Your old fridge will be picked up when your new cooling appliance is delivered.
Check out the list of participating retailers before buying your new refrigerator. At the time of purchase, be sure to mention to the vendor that you want to take advantage of their appliance removal service.
Companies specializing in bulky waste pickup
Several companies specializing in bulky waste pickup offer a paid service for used appliance pickup. Although practical, these services are, for the most part, inconsistent: they do not process the harmful materials contained in your refrigerator, which is harmful for the environment. GoRecycle is the only organization recognized by RECYC-QUÉBEC for the recycling of refrigerators.
We recommend that you choose one of the four previous options in this article to ensure that your fridge is reused or recycled responsibly.
