What Do You Do With Old Appliances?

Mar 25, 2016

Appliances don’t belong in garbage dumps. The experts at Appliance Gallery, Wisconsin’s premier appliance store, want homeowners to know their options when faced with disposing old washers, dryers, refrigerators, dishwashers, ovens, and other appliances.

Older appliances usually rely on outdated technology that use up to three times more electricity than new, high-efficiency models. “A huge benefit of buying new appliances is saving energy, money, and the environment,” said Stephen Erb. “But it’s definitely counterproductive if the old appliances are ending up in a landfill.”

Erb described a few environmentally responsible appliance recycling programs currently available:

• Focus on Energy’s Appliance Recycling Program. This program offers free pick-up and recycling of your old refrigerators and freezers, provided they are in working condition and between 10 and 30 cubic feet in size. Erb said, “Focus on Energy knows how to responsibly recycle your old appliances that have refrigerant, and they’ll even pay you a little for them.
• Milwaukee’s Habitat for Humanity ReStore. Fully functional home appliances, large and small, can be donated to Habitat ReStore. Proceeds from these nonprofit home improvement stores and donation centers are used to build homes and communities. Donations can be picked up at no cost and are tax deductible.
• Department of Public Works Drop-Off Centers. City of Milwaukee residents can recycle broken appliances at two self-help drop-off centers in Milwaukee.

Homeowners may also contact their waste and recycling hauler to determine if they will accept the appliance for pick-up, though there may be a fee. For the sake of the environment, selling appliances that are not efficient is usually not recommended.

Appliance Gallery serves the Milwaukee area. “We haul away and process our customers’ old appliances, responsibly preparing them for refrigerant recovery and scrap metal markets,” Erb said. “We want our customers to enjoy the benefits of their new appliances without having to worry about what to do with the old ones.”

With more than 25 name-brand manufacturers, Appliance Gallery’s spacious Milwaukee showroom at 4550 West Wisconsin Avenue features a knowledgeable, friendly, and experienced sales staff offering competitive pricing, and service after the sale.