When you want to get rid of your cooling home appliances, recycling them responsibly is key to protecting the environment. Appliance recycling is more critical than ever, whether it is a fridge, freezer, air conditioner, wine cooler, water cooler, or dehumidifier.
First, we will look at the negative impacts of not recycling cooling appliances; then, we will address the benefits of responsible recycling, and the options available to you.
The adverse impacts of not recycling your used cooling household appliances
A cooling appliance generates on average a ton of greenhouse gases (GHG) if it is not recycled responsibly. These appliances actually contain halocarbons, which are considerable greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change.
What are the impacts of greenhouse gases (GHG)?
Greenhouse gas emissions have adverse effects on the environment, human health and the economy.
Below are some negative impacts of an increase in greenhouse gases (GHG):
- A rise in average annual temperatures
- Rising sea levels and increased flooding
- Coastal erosion
- An increase in heat waves resulting in forest fires
- Increased risk of death from dehydration and heat stroke
- Greater risk of respiratory and cardiovascular problems and cancers due to air pollution
- Heightened levels of anxiety and depression in some individuals
- Negative effects on the agriculture, forestry, tourism and recreation industries
- Economic stress on health and social support systems
Key figures on the impact of recycling cooling household appliances
Recycling a refrigerator is equivalent to:
Using a reusable coffee cup 13,870 times
A car traveling 4,500 km, i.e., a distance greater than Montreal to Banff
Driving 1,850 km in a truck, as if 42 people were moving from Ahuntsic to St-Jérôme
Riding 1,000 km in a big rig
488 bus rides to work
Buying 62 pairs of jeans, i.e., one pair per year from 18 to 80 years old
Laundering clothes 96,618 times in hot water
Eating 138 beef meals
The benefits of recycling cooling appliances
Through responsible recycling of a cooling household appliance (fridge, freezer, wine cooler and water cooler) or an air conditioning unit (portable air conditioner, window AC unit and dehumidifier), over 95% of materials from the appliance are recovered.
Recycled components
Through proper and responsible recycling of cooling household appliances, a lot of components that are harmful to the environment can be removed and recycled, such as:
- Refrigerant gases
- Oils
- The compressor and certain pipes
- Gases contained in the insulating foam (for refrigerators, freezers and wine coolers)
- All the other parts of the appliance (to separate materials and enable the recycling of metals, for example)
