While it may be confusing, it’s so important to responsibly dispose of your old appliances in Atlanta.
Illegal dumping and landfill crowding are issues that have become huge problems and are causing toxic pollution of the air, soil, food supply, and water. Not just in Atlanta, but all over the U.S.
So, you can see why it’s important to responsibly dispose of appliances that won’t fit in the garbage bin and can’t be put out with the recycling, such as refrigerators, ovens, dishwashers, AC units, and more.
We’ll tell you how you can get fast, easy appliance removal and recycling in Atlanta that will make your life easier and our environment greener.
Got an old fridge to throw out?BOOK A PICKUP ❯
Recycling Appliances in Atlanta
Many people don’t know this, but most of your used appliances can easily be recycled. Appliances that are made primarily of metal, such as washers and dryers, make up around 10% of the steel recycled in the U.S. every year.
Important appliance materials such as steel, aluminum, tempered glass, and plastic are able to be salvaged when appliances are recycled. Those materials are then able to be used in the production of brand new products.
There are many types of appliances that can be recycled right here in Atlanta at the recycling center. These types of recyclables include include large, metal appliances such as:
- Air Conditioners
- Refrigerators
- Dishwashers
- Washers & Dryers
- Ice Makers
- Deep Freezers
- Stoves
- Wine Fridgerators
If you decide to have your appliances recycled, be careful not to damage any tubing or leak any coolant when moving them, since this can be very dangerous.
It’s a good idea to remove any doors from your appliances, to prevent children and animals from getting trapped if they decide to wander inside.
You should also hire a professional to drain the coolant from your appliances before hauling them to be recycled.
In many cases, gas, refrigerant, or propane tanks have to be taken separately to a hazardous waste center to be disposed of safely. Any batteries must be disposed of separately as well.
When considering hauling your old appliances to be recycled, remember that you will need someone to help you with those especially heavy or bulky appliances. Trying to move them on your own is very dangerous and you could easily injure yourself.
Need to get rid of that old dishwasher?BOOK A PICKUP ❯
Atlanta Appliance Recycling Service Pickup
Because throwing away an appliance with the trash should really never even cross anyone’s mind, let’s go ahead and get this one out of the way.
There’s really no such thing as “away” when you throw away an old washer or dryer. Appliances that get thrown away eventually end up in a landfill somewhere, where they just sit around forever.
Most things that are deposited in a landfill begin to break down over time. This causes toxic runoff, which gradually leaches into the local air, soil, water, and food supply.
Decomposition of waste and trash also causes methane to build up. Methane is a highly toxic and flammable gas as well as a strong greenhouse gas which is partially responsible for the current climate change emergency.
If you end up deciding to toss your appliances out with the trash despite the problems it causes, there are a few things you should know.
If you use a private company for your regular garbage collection service, you’ll need to contact them and ask whether they will pick up any of your old appliances and how much extra they will charge to pick them up.
If your regular trash collection is a government-sponsored service, you will need to schedule a special collection with them to have your unwanted appliances picked up for disposal.
If you’re disposing of any appliances that use refrigerants, such as a refrigerator or air conditioner unit, you will be required to take them to a licensed professional in order to drain the fluids before you are allowed to dispose of them. Otherwise, you might incur steep disposal fees at the junk yard.
You will be charged additional fees for this service, and the total volume of the items needs to be less than about 6 feet by 5 feet, otherwise, you’ll probably have to haul your appliances to the landfill or transfer station to drop them off.
If you do decide to drop your old appliances off at the landfill, you should be prepared to show proof of Atlanta residence to be allowed to drop off your appliances there.
You can also expect to pay a fee for appliance disposal. You will likely end up paying around $500 to drop off a truck full of junk, which old appliances can easily fill.
Broken washer & dryer set in the way?BOOK A PICKUP ❯
Atlanta Appliance Donation
Atlanta charities like the Salvation Army, Goodwill, and Habitat for Humanity are great places to donate your used appliances. These charities should accept your appliance donation as long as your old refrigerator or cooler is in good, working condition.
The appliances that are donated are usually refurbished and then resold, with the funds going toward paying for the charity’s work in the community.
Some charities offer pickup of large donated items. Finding a pickup time that will work for you can be a little tricky, though, since nonprofits are mostly staffed by volunteers. There can often be a waitlist weeks long for appliance donation pickup.
You can also take your donation to the charity’s drop-off center if you have the time and a way to get it there.
Atlanta Appliance Removal
When you’ve got bulky, heavy appliances plus other junk to get rid of, your first thought might be that you should just rent a dumpster and throw everything in there.
Even though it might seem quick and easy, once the dumpster is hauled away, every appliance you threw in it goes straight to the landfill. Eew. You’ll also end up spending more on a dumpster because those appliances are so heavy and you have a minimum fee to meet.
Instead of renting a dumpster, you’re better off using a junk removal service like LoadUp to haul away and safely dispose of your old appliances for you.
This can be much easier than renting a dumpster since LoadUp does all of the heavy lifting for you.
LoadUp is a great choice for appliance removal because they take everything they can to a local recycling center to be recycled or donated to a local charity.
They also provide honest, upfront pricing and on-demand, online booking, unlike other junk haulers who use the “free” on-site estimate model as a sales scheme to get you to spend more money.
With their innovative junk removal technology platform, when you book appliance removal with LoadUp, you’re able to track your pickup every step of the way. You get real-time updates and pre-calls so you’re never left waiting around for service.
Although you might still be deciding on whether to go with granite or marble for your countertops or which finish you like best for that new refrigerator, we hope you know what to do now with the old ones.
If you’d like to learn more about why LoadUp is the best appliance removal and disposal service in Atlanta, or how to book a pickup with us, visit our Atlanta page and give us a call today!