Disposal of refrigerators: how to part with an unnecessary refrigeration unit

The desire to make your life as comfortable as possible played a cruel joke with humanity: over the past century, the world has simply “drowned” in a variety of household appliances. People are faced with the fact that the disposal of refrigerators, stoves and dishwashers is not thought out properly.

What to do when the old model crashes and ceases to fulfill its functions? There are several solutions to the problem that we introduce you to in this article. We have described in detail the options for the parting procedure with old refrigeration equipment, given useful recommendations.

The relevance of the disposal of household appliances

In matters related to the disposal of old equipment, the inhabitants of Russia are lagging behind Europeans, Americans and Japanese. Relatively recently, official documents appeared regulating the sale, storage and processing of used household units and appliances.

For example, in The Law on Environmental Protection No. 7-FZ of the Russian Federation It is said about who and how should be responsible for the delivery and processing of broken equipment.

Some points are devoted to the responsibility of citizens and self-government bodies that do not comply with the requirements for the civilized disposal of failed equipment and electronics. By the way, the latest edition was released in January 2002 and has not changed since then.

The insufficient number of explanatory documents and the state’s untreated environmental policy have led to real difficulties with “attaching” household appliances

One of the reasons causing difficulties with the removal and removal of equipment concerns the large size and heavy weight of household appliances. In addition, volumetric equipment takes up a lot of space, so just throwing it into a landfill is prohibited.

Refrigerators also differ in that they contain refrigerant. Freon, which provides a low temperature inside the device, is harmful to humans and the atmosphere. However, poisoning can only be obtained with a large and sharp release of gas. In practice, it quickly dissolves in air and disappears.

But phosgene, which is recognized as a toxic substance, is really dangerous. It is formed at a temperature of +400 ° C, therefore, it can occur only in case of violation of production technologies or safety precautions in an industrial enterprise.

Once in the atmosphere, gas destroys the ozone layer.

Phosgene was isolated only from R-22 freon, already banned for production. Today, companies producing and filling refrigerators use R-600a, R-134a, R407c, R410a and other series recognized as safe for the health of users

Nevertheless, there is a certain gas evacuation procedure preceding the further utilization of the equipment. It must be handled by qualified services licensed by the state. It is forbidden to release refrigerant into the atmosphere.

Ways to attach a working refrigerator

Advertisements posted on billboards and in the media, constantly flickering in television screens, will do their job perfectly - thousands of home appliance users are buying new models without waiting for old ones to fail. What to do with an outdated but functioning refrigerator?

№1 - arrange a move to the cottage

The easiest way to update kitchen appliances is to take out the old devices to the cottage or to the village, and instead buy new, more functional and economical appliances. Then the working refrigerator will not have to be disposed of in the literal sense of the word, it will simply change the “place of residence”.

Old equipment in a summer cottage looks more profitable. Rare models easily become a part, and sometimes a center, of a vintage style interior

For the transportation of large and heavy refrigerators, for example, two-chamber model or unit Side-by-side, it will take two pairs of hands and remarkable strength.

If there are no adult men in the house, and the neighbors also cannot boast of their health, then you will have to hire movers along with the truck for transportation. In cities, there are no transportation problems: dozens or even hundreds of companies offer their services.

The brigade is called in the following order:

• monitoring newspapers with advertisements and sites offering the transport of furniture and large-sized equipment;
• choosing a company with good recommendations and reasonable prices;
• a call to the company, clarification of the terms of the transaction, the appointment of the exact time of transportation;
• conclusion of an agreement.

At the appointed time, the team arrives and takes the equipment to the specified address. You can take the opportunity and, together with an old refrigerator, transport old things or seedlings to the cottage.

No. 2 - sell by announcement

If there is no house in the village or cottage, then you can “attach” working equipment with commercial profit - in other words, sell it. Paste sticky notes with handwritten texts on poles has long been no longer accepted, therefore, we recommend using modern methods: placing ads in newspapers, on websites and on TV.

If you attach a high-quality photograph of the refrigerator to the text, then the chances of a quick implementation will increase. Potential buyers who see the product face, rather react to the ad

Sales speed also depends on the assigned value. Used equipment can not be expensive, so try to immediately determine the right price. To do this, you can look through other people's ads and display the average figure. The smaller it is, the sooner you will make a sale.

Try to interest the buyer, that is, make up a useful and interesting ad. Of course, photography will attract the future owner of the refrigerator in the first place, however, creative text can help a lot.

List the advantages of the model and be sure to indicate the reason for the sale - the purchase of new equipment. The buyer should know that the reason for the sale was not a poor quality of equipment, but a replacement

If there is no desire or time to mess around with your ad, read strangers. Perhaps someone just needed an inexpensive used fridge for a summer house or a rented apartment.

If the proceeds do not matter, call the purchase of old equipment. You will be offered symbolic money - 500-1000 rubles, but you don’t have to look for movers, since energetic workers will take everything out and take it out on their own.

No. 3 - give in good hands

Wealthy owners can afford to give the refrigerator to friends or just strangers.

Often, neighbors or strangers find themselves in circumstances in which the purchase of new equipment is impossible due to temporary financial problems. People who suddenly lost their jobs, or students who rent an apartment in the neighborhood, will be happy with such a gift.

The old model can be restored, and it will take its rightful place in the interior of the kitchen. The worn-out rare ZIL looks little different from the elite retro SMEG models

Thanks for the generous gift may be the independent transportation of the unit by new owners of equipment. They will take care of the timely removal of the refrigerator from the kitchen, and the place for installation will be free for the delivery of new equipment.

At transportation of the refrigerating machine, which is still planned to operate, the transportation rules must be observed. They are described in detail in our recommended article.

What to do with an idle refrigerator?

Unfortunately, more often it is necessary to change kitchen equipment not because of fashion trends, but because of a fatal breakdown that cannot be repaired.

If the case is cracked or the compressor has broken several times, you should think about a new acquisition. There are several possibilities to dispose of old equipment, but not all of them are legal and safe.

Option # 1 - take the equipment to the trash

Unenlightened owners act in the usual way - with the onset of darkness they attribute an old refrigerator to garbage containers. In the best case, more enterprising citizens will immediately pick it up; in the worst, it will stay there until the arrival of a special truck serving the area.

According to the rules of maintaining the local area, it is forbidden to put large equipment, especially refrigerators with freon, into the yard. Usually this provision is contained in the charter adopted by the tenants and agreed with the management company.

Large containers are intended for construction waste, old furniture and bulky household equipment, which are installed in some, but not all, yards

However, there is a small nuance - the content of freon turns the refrigerator from ordinary "garbage" into dangerous. If you follow the law, then before sending the unit to the container, freon must be pumped out, and this costs money.

The owners who just threw the device on the street face a fine in the range of 1000-2500 rubles, so it is better to spend this amount on a specialist call, which, by the way, is also not always possible.

Container bunkers are available only for residents of megacities or at least cities of regional significance. For example, in Moscow this issue has been resolved, and containers with a volume of 8.27 m³ or more are exhibited specially for bulky equipment. In small towns and villages, organized removal of household equipment is a rarity.

Option # 2 - arrange for landfill removal

What to do if it is impossible to take out the refrigerator to the yard, and transportation to the dump completely falls on the shoulders of the former owner? You will have to look for a private company that collects and removes old household appliances and pays for the price list.

You should be aware that not all companies are engaged in large-sized units, in particular, refrigerators.Many refuse to export them precisely because of the content of freon

When calling workers, be sure to check if the organization has a license to transport or process refrigerators.

They may refuse for another reason. It is unprofitable for small companies to cooperate with citizens, therefore they serve only legal entities. If you are lucky, then the unit will be picked up, loaded into a car and taken to the nearest landfill for about 2300-2500 rubles.

In small towns, another difficulty is that there are simply no firms involved in the export of equipment. It is also problematic to dispose of other waste that is harmful to nature, for example, mercury lamps or batteries.

Option # 3 - give the unit a “second” life

Most likely, precisely because of the impossibility of “fusing” the refrigerator to the landfill in time, the villagers and summer residents found more than a dozen ways to use it in a different quality.

Having lost its main function - to cool and freeze food - equipment can easily turn into something useful. Particularly attractive for homemade products is the body - voluminous and sturdy. Here are some examples of successful use of an old refrigerator. You may have more interesting ideas.

The fantasy of the owners of the old units knows no limits, and comfortable dog houses, air dehumidifiers, cellar glaciers, tool organizers, smokehouses for fish and meat, dryers for fruits and vegetables are born.

It should be remembered that freon not used for cooling must be pumped out using equipment used in refrigerant charge. You just can't let it out into the air.

Option # 4 - Scrap / Parts

Newspaper pages are full of advertisements for the purchase of used equipment for spare parts. There are also scrap collection points where some of the parts can be attributed. It would seem that you can disassemble the refrigerator and get at least a small benefit, but in practice everything happens differently.

To find out how appropriate it is to disassemble the unit, you should call the organization that made the announcement. Some enterprises accept only metal parts, others work only with legal entities.

In addition, the delivery of equipment in parts is disadvantageous, because in the process of disassembling it will be necessary to remove freon, and this is a paid procedure.

If the model is relatively modern, then some parts (compressor, sensors) can be accepted for a nominal fee by private owners engaged in home repair

Thus, the entire refrigerator for disassembly can be accepted only when it is of some value, that is, it can be repaired or disassembled into popular spare parts. But more often only serviceable parts are bought up, and nobody needs plastic.

Option # 5 - profitably exchange for a coupon

An interesting solution is to buy a new model instead of the old one at a big discount. Stocks of this kind sometimes carry out large network markets, for example, Eldorado. Where did this practice come from?

After careful calculations and analysis of statistical data, we learned that Russians use 2-3 times more electricity than citizens of other countries. This is due to the use of old uneconomical equipment, power consuming much more than new generation refrigeration units.

As a result of discussions of the problem, it was decided by 2020 to withdraw about 39 million refrigerators and freezers from the population by exchanging for energy-efficient models.

The exchange program was liked by both consumers and companies that sell equipment in large quantities. Thanks to her, the level of sales of brands to be replaced has increased significantly.

What does the consumer win? At a minimum, he receives as a gift a free removal of the old unit, at a maximum - a discount of up to 10% (rarely more) on a new one inverter model, which also works much quieter. Which side you shouldn’t look at, this is a useful and profitable opportunity to renew the kitchen arsenal and dispose of bulky waste.

Features of professional disposal

If you are lucky and in your city there is at least one enterprise engaged in the collection and processing of refrigerators, the disposal procedure is as follows:

• a call to the company in order to apply;
• discussion of payment terms, conclusion of an agreement;
• removal and transportation of equipment by employees of the enterprise;
• delivery to a warehouse or landfill where freon is pumped out and then disassembled;
• sorting of plastic, non-ferrous and other metals, electronics;
• pressing and sending waste to processing plants.

At dismantling and pressing enterprises, environmental standards are respected, so environmental pollution does not occur. The disposal process is carried out under the supervision of regulatory authorities.

As you can see, such enterprises do not carry out a full-scale processing cycle - it is simply a transshipment base. But household appliances are disassembled, sorted, packaged and sent to combines, where recyclables are processed and allowed for re-production.

Solving a problem abroad

Recycling is an area in which we are far behind foreign countries. If you calculate the percentage of waste recycling in Russia, the results are depressing.

Perhaps, compared with 2011, when the studies were conducted, the situation has changed in a positive direction. However, the difference on such an item as landfill (landfills) can hardly be significantly reduced in 7 or even 10 years

The Japanese have a responsible approach to the disposal of technical waste. They have developed an effective recycling program and also pay a separate tax. In Europe, schemes have been thought out, thanks to which the manufacturer is responsible for disposal - after the term of operation, he takes the refrigerator and sends it for recycling.

In developed countries, special events are provided, for example, the annual collection of bulky equipment. Old refrigerators are put out on the street, and municipal transport collects them and takes them to processing plants.

Conclusions and useful video on the topic

If you had to get rid of the old refrigerator, then you represent the process of removal and transportation. Where the equipment goes next, you can find out from the videos.

Video # 1. What happens at the processing plant:

Video # 2. How to get rid of bulky garbage:

Video # 3. How does the free recycling program work:

Unfortunately, the disposal problem has not been completely resolved. Old refrigerators continue to appear from time to time on sites with garbage containers, and freon, thanks to irresponsible users, enters the atmosphere and destroys the ozone layer.

In order to preserve nature and not harm yourself, you should correctly dispose of household appliances using only legal ways.

Want to talk about how to recycle your old refrigerator? Have a desire to share the intricacies of the process that may be useful to site visitors? Please leave comments in the block below, ask questions about interesting points, post a photo on the topic of the article.