Program to recycle appliances and save a few dollars

If you’ve been waiting to get rid of an old refrigerator or freezer that still works, there’s a new program in Wisconsin that will help you.

The rate payer funded Focus on Energy program will do a free home pick up of qualifying refrigerators or freezers anywhere in the state. By recycling an old appliance, customers later receive a $30 check for participating.

Sara Ifert is a spokeswoman with Focus on Energy. She says that customers can also expect up to $150 a year in energy savings by recycling the less efficient appliance. She also says that the program helps keep harmful trash out of landfills, “Anytime we pick up a refrigerator or freezer, we can recycle about 90% of the materials in those appliances, and safely dispose of them so the toxins and materials don’t end up in a landfill or harming the environment.”

Ifert says that since the program began in April, it is on track to meeting its target recycling goal, “We’ve had a lot of success so far. We’re aiming to recycle over 17,000 throughout the state this year.”

Ifert says that all of the appliances are taken to the Focus on Energy recycling center in suburban Milwaukee. At the site, toxins like mercury are disposed of safely and metal parts are separated for later reuse. She also says the program will run at least until the end of the year.