Used Appliances – are a treasure trove of recyclable materials.
Washer – Dryer – Dishwasher – Stove – Oven
are made of steel, aluminum, copper, plastics, rubber, glass, and freon.
Refrigerators. Internal coils on these are rich with copper and aluminum, steel, plastic, and sometimes stainless steel, that make up the shell.
The downside or sometimes upside to recycling refrigerators is disposing of the freon. Freon is the refrigerant gas that runs through the coils and compressor in a fridge.
Most municipalities require by law that refrigerant gases be disposed of by a licensed professional and under no circumstances deliberately released into the air.
The upside to this is that there is actually a market for recycled refrigerant.
With the proper training and equipment refrigerator recycling can prove very profitable.
Some people and municipal dumps will actually pay you to pickup and properly dispose of junk refrigerators and appliances.