:056 Freon Capture

Suggested Review – :025, :026

Welcome to today’s 1:5:10 Tip for becoming a better steward for our home and planet.

 

Courtesy of EPA region 7 – Katrina appliance graveyard

1:5:10:056 Tip: Refrigerators have a number of components that shouldn’t be disposed at a regular landfill and in fact should be recycled by an authorized “appliance deconstructor”. Yep that’s the official term for companies that recycle these types of things. After hurricane Katrina over 390,000 large appliances like refrigerators were inspected and deconstructed. Some of the materials that must be collected for recycling or hazardous waste disposal include:

• Mercury switches,

• Mercury thermocouples,

• Fluorescent tubes

• Freon refrigerant

• PCB containing capacitors

• PCB containing ballasts

So don’t just abandon those old appliances. Most companies that sell and install new appliances will take the old one off your hands and be sure it is handled properly – but make sure you ask.

***********************************

Additional Information: You can check for recycling and freon capture options by checking with your appliance supplier, local sanitation company or by checking on-line at www.earth911.org and entering the item you want to recycle and your zip code.

************************

Would you like to receive an email alert for each new 1:5:10:365 EcoTip? Sign up for a Google Alert.