WASHINGTON — Dominion Virginia Power is bringing back its residential appliance recycling program for its utility customers, and you can get paid to get rid of your older, inefficient refrigerator or freezer.
The utility company will pick up your old refrigerator, properly recycle it and send you a check for $50.
To qualify, your refrigerator or freezer must be at least 10 years old, in working order and empty at the time of pickup, and 10 to 32 cubic feet in capacity. You must be a Dominion Virginia Power customer. And customers are limited to two appliances per account.
Pickups can be scheduled with Dominion Virginia’s appliance recycling contractor, Appliance Recycling Centers of America, at 888-366-8280. The contractor will disable the unit, recycle the applicable components and properly dispose of the refrigerant chemicals.
You’ll have to buy a replacement, but Dominion Virginia Power says you’ll be replacing it with a much more efficient appliance. And, having it professionally recycled lessens the environmental impact of appliance disposal.
The Environmental Protection Agency says newer, EnergyStar appliances are about 15 percent more energy efficient that appliances built to 2009 standards. Energy Star estimates that of the 170 million refrigerators in use in the United States, more than 60 million are over 10 years old.
