Hazardous Materials and Waste Management Division
Household Appliances

Disposal

Freon (chloro fluoro carbons, CFCs) must be removed from refrigerators and air conditioners before disposal.   While a few landfills have staff available that are equipped and trained to remove and capture the Freon, most landfills can't accept appliances that contain Freon.  The homeowner will usually have to contact an appliance repair company with a certified CFC  technician to remove the Freon and tag the appliance as CFC-free.  Once this is done, most landfills can accept these and other appliances for recycling or disposal.

Some communities have "large item pick-up" days to assist homeowners with disposal of items that can't be disposed of in their regular trash.  Check with local city or county government to see if they offer these services.  If these options are not available, visit the Earth 911 website (www.earth911.com) to find companies that accept appliances for recycling.

These procedures are intended for appliances from a household only.

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