Appliance and Scrap Removal
Appliance and Scrap Removal
• RAD Partners protect the environment and the health of neighboring communities by keeping recyclable materials out of landfills and ensuring the proper handling and disposal of hazardous waste.
• Permanent retirement of old, inefficient units saves energy. The removal of an old refrigerator could save you up to $50 a year in energy costs!
• The proper recycling of refrigerated appliances and the handling of insulation foam protects the Earth’s ozone layer – and you – by preventing the release of ozone depleting substances into the atmosphere.
• The RAD Program also helps mitigate climate change by reducing emissions of potent greenhouse gases.
(0.92 MT CO2 Eq.)
35 incandescent lamps switched to LEDs
(92 MT CO2 Eq.)
Charging 11,691,430 phones
917 MT CO2 Eq.)
110 homes’ energy use for one year
Ever wondered what all the components in your refrigerator are made of? Are they harmful? The graphic below explains the different components of a refrigerated appliance and why environmentally responsible recycling, done the RAD way, is so important.
The proper recovery of refrigerant and insulation foam helps to protect Earth’s climate and ozone layer. Older refrigerators¹ contain refrigerants and foam blowing agents that are both potent ozone depleting substances (ODS) and greenhouse gases (GHGs)!
Recovering and disposing of the foam from 1,000 refrigerators is equivalent to avoiding the GHG emissions from 115 cars driven in one year.
Properly recovering and disposing of used oil, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and mercury-containing components in old appliances helps avoid risks to human health, including:
• Carcinogenic and other effects from exposure to PCBs²
• Impaired neurological development and other problems with the nervous system from exposure to mercury³
• Damage to the liver, brain, and immune and reproductive systems from exposure to used oil
Nearly all the durable materials that make up a refrigerator can be recycled. Recovering and recycling these materials protects the environment and the health of communities by keeping materials out of landfills and ensuring the proper handling and disposal of hazardous waste.
The energy savings associated with the permanent retirement of 1,000 old refrigerators is equivalent to avoiding the GHG emissions from charging more than 63 million smartphones.
The removal of an old, inefficient refrigerator could save you up to $50 a year in energy costs!
¹ Circa 1998 or earlier
² Appliances manufactured before 1979 may contain PCB capacitors
³ Appliances manufactured before 2000 may have mercury-containing components
EPA