March 9, 2005 News Media Release

Mayor cuts ribbon to first refrigerator recycling center in Texas

Mayor Will Wynn cut the ribbon March 9 to the first refrigerator recycling center in Texas as Austin Energy unveiled the first refrigerator/freezer recycling program of its kind in the state. Texas joins only eight other states in the nation with similar community-wide recycling programs.

Austin Energy hopes to collect as many as 3,500 old energy-guzzling refrigerators or freezers annually, saving owners and the utility an estimated 3.8 million kilowatt-hours worth of electricity each year - enough electricity to power 300 homes year round.

Customers will be paid $35 (a maximum of $70) for each working refrigerator or freezer. The center, operated by Appliance Recycling Centers of America, Inc., will be the first stop in a process to recycle 98% of the parts and materials as well as capture ozone-depleting refrigerants in a safe and environmentally friendly manner.

Old inefficient refrigerators or freezers use 2-3 times more energy than today's inefficient models. A home turning in an old model will save about a month's worth of electricity by doing so. Austin Energy customers can schedule a pickup by calling Appliance Recycling Centers of America at 1-800-452-8685. The company, which is contracting with Austin Energy, will pick up the appliances and the customer is mailed their rebate check.

Recycling and taking out of service 3,500 refrigerators and freezers would produce more than 375 tons of scrap metal and more than 1,300 pounds of ozone-depleting refrigerants that will be reclaimed rather than released into the atmosphere.

The recycling center in Austin is situated in a 20,000 square-foot building with 400 feet of conveyors. The center has the capability of processing more than 300 refrigerators during an 8-hour shift.

Each unit is tested for polyurethane foam insulation (CFC-11). The units that contain the ozone-depleting CFC-11 are shipped to a center in California where the company has specialized equipment to safely remove CFC-11 from the foam. Units that do not contain CFC-11 are placed on the conveyors to complete processing at the center.

Any parts that may contain PCBs, a known carcinogen, are removed and sent to a hazardous waste facility where the components are destroyed. Any mercury in parts and all refrigerants are safely captured and sent to a licensed reclamation facility. Finally, all the metal including the refrigerator shell, aluminum shelves, copper wiring, motors and compressors and separated and transported to a local metal processing facility for recycling.

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For more information, contact Ed Clark, Public Information.
Phone: (512) 322-6514
Pager: (512) 802-2000