Fridge or freezer
How to get rid of a fridge or freezer
Start with whether you have to pay at all. Your city or county may take it, and in some places a retailer or a charity will. The order below is the same everywhere; the answers are local, so put your postal code in and we will tell you what we have actually checked.
No phone number and no address. You get the answer first.
Before you put it out
There is a rule about this
Anything containing refrigerant, which means fridges, freezers, window air conditioners, dehumidifiers and water coolers, must have that refrigerant recovered by a certified technician before it is scrapped or landfilled. This applies everywhere in the United States, not just in strict states.
Venting refrigerant is a federal offence and the person who disposed of the appliance can be pursued, not only whoever collected it.
Where your city or county collects appliances, putting it out is fine: they arrange the recovery. Otherwise use a hauler who can tell you how they handle the refrigerant, or let the retailer take the old one when the new one is delivered, which is usually free.
United States · Section 608 of the Clean Air Act, US EPA · checked 2026-09-14
The order worth trying
- Usually free
The gas has to come out before it is scrapped
Anything with a cooling circuit has to have the refrigerant recovered by someone qualified. That is a legal requirement in most places rather than good practice, and the person who disposed of it can be the one held responsible. Ask anybody quoting you how they handle it.
- Usually free
The delivery driver may take the old one
Retailers very often remove the old appliance when they deliver the new one, free or for a small fee, and in some places they are legally required to offer it. It is the easiest route and almost nobody asks for it.
Search old appliance removal with delivery - Usually free
Your city or county may collect it
Many do, and a lot of people never think to look. Where it exists it is often free, sometimes a small fee per item, and usually booked online. This is the single most common reason somebody pays a hauler when they did not have to.
Search bulky waste collection booking - Low cost
The transfer station, if you can move it
Municipal recycling sites normally take household quantities for nothing or for a small charge. Worth it only if you can lift it and have somewhere to put it, which for a fridge or freezer is the real question.
Search recycling center opening hours - You pay
Then, and only then, pay somebody
If the free routes are out, get more than one price and ask what is included before anyone turns up. The fees that turn a good quote into a bad bill are call-out charges, minimum loads, stairs and disposal levies.
Now check what applies where you are
Everything above is true everywhere. Whether your city or county will take a fridge or freezer, and what it costs if they will not, is local, and that is the part we have actually checked.
No phone number and no address. You get the answer first.
Questions people ask about a fridge or freezer
Will my city or county take a fridge or freezer?
Often, yes, and that is the first thing worth checking. Many run a bulky waste collection and a lot of people never think to look, which is the single most common reason somebody pays a hauler when they did not have to. Tell us your postal code above and we will show you what we have checked where you are.
What does it cost to have a fridge or freezer taken away?
It depends on volume and on where you are, and we will not invent a figure. We show a range only where at least three companies in your area have published their prices, because two numbers are not a going rate.
Is it cheaper to take it to the transfer station myself?
Usually, if you can lift it and have something to carry it in. Municipal sites normally take household quantities for nothing or for a small charge. For a fridge or freezer the honest question is whether moving it is realistic.