When an appliance at home is no longer functioning and needs to be replaced, your first thought may be to discard it to a landfill. Many people do not see that there is an option of recycling your appliance. However, there are several reasons why appliance recycling is important.
These are some appliances that are commonly discarded wrongly:
- Ovens
- Refrigerators
- Dishwashers
- Freezers
- Dryers
- Washers
PROTECTS OZONE LAYER
Many appliances, such as freezers and refrigerators, contain hazardous and dangerous chemicals, which can leach into the soil. This will poison the water supply. The greenhouse gases released by the toxic materials are responsible for depleting the ozone layer. For instance, cooling appliances such as air conditioners are dependent on the cooling agent Freon to function properly. When these appliances are being discarded, the Freon is not properly disposed of and may leak into the atmosphere, causing damage to the ozone layer. On the other hand, recycling these appliances will ensure that Freon and other toxic chemicals are properly disposed, removing the hazard of harming the atmosphere.
SAVE MONEY
If you decide to discard your old appliances at the local landfill, you may have to pay a disposal fee. On the other hand, if you were to recycle the appliances, you get to save on this fee and may even make some money, depending on the state and condition of the aluminum, metal, and steel of your appliance.
TAKE UP LANDFILLS
A majority of what we consume is being discarded in a landfill somewhere. If you have never seen any of the landfills in person, the sight of it is something that will definitely motivate you to start recycling more. As you can imagine, appliances take up a lot of space, so throwing them should be the last option that you resort to. Especially for large appliances, it is extremely beneficial to the environment if you recycle freezers and dishwashers.
APPLIANCES CONTAIN VALUABLE MATERIALS
Appliances are filled with many materials that can be recycled, which reduces the need to produce and cultivate large amounts of new materials. One main important material that usually dominates the construction of several appliances is steel. When you recycle appliances, it will allow steel and other materials in the appliance to be used again, resulting in lesser production to replace what you have discarded.
NEW APPLIANCES ARE MORE ENERGY-EFFICIENT
Sometimes, recycling appliances can be a good idea just because you now have a reason to buy that brand new model that you have always wanted. Not only will you own a more advanced kind of appliance that probably has more functions and options, newer models are usually more energy-efficient as well, which means that you will get to save money on your electrical bills.
ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY
There are several recyclable materials that make up your freezer or refrigerator. A majority of cooling appliances that are at least 10 years old contain on average more than 120 pounds of steel that can be recycled. Furthermore, there are many other components and metal that can be reused.
Many appliances also contain chlorofluorocarbons, mercury, beryllium, lead, and chromium, all of which are harmful to the environment. This can be avoided by recycling your appliances instead of disposing of them.
