See ya later refrigerator!
Spring cleaning ideal time for Rocky Mountain Power offer to pick up and recycle old fridge or freezer, and get $40 incentive
by Rocky Mountain Power
April 5, 2012
If you could use some extra cash and more space for spring cleaning, you can definitely use a Rocky Mountain Power program that pays rewards for having old, energy-wasting refrigerators and freezers picked up and properly recycled.
Offered throughout the year, the utility’s See ya later, refrigerator program is especially popular right now as people tackle annual spring cleaning projects. If customers really don’t need that older, extra refrigerator or freezer chugging away in the garage or basement, they can call Rocky Mountain Power to schedule a time to have it picked up for free.
In addition to the extra space they’ll gain, participating customers in Wyoming receive an incentive check for $40 in the mail a few weeks later. What’s more, the average program participant saves as much as $150 over the next year through lower household energy consumption. Older refrigerators and freezers kept in garages and basements are typically so outdated that they require up to three times more electricity to keep running than newer models built to higher energy efficiency standards.
Scheduling a time for a home pickup is as easy as making a toll free call 1-866-899-5539, or an online visit to Rocky Mountain Power at www.rockymountainpower.net/recycle.
"It’s a great way to jump-start your spring cleaning. A lot of people realize they really don’t need the extra cold storage, but they keep a secondary unit plugged in anyway because they don’t know what else to do with it. Well, that’s where we come in. We know exactly what to do with those old clunkers — recycle them," said Carol Hunter, Rocky Mountain Power vice president.
JACO Environmental, the company’s vendor in charge of picking up old refrigerators and freezers, operates a national network of de-manufacturing plants that rely on semi-robotic technology. JACO’s process reduces about 95 percent of each refrigerator or freezer into recyclable materials that find their way into everything from mobile phones to construction rebar.
JACO also extracts dangerous substances from the units such as mercury and toxic oils that can poison the environment when old refrigerators and freezers end up in landfills. Even foam insulation is stripped out, shredded and shipped to power plants, where it’s safely incinerated to generate electricity. That way, the old appliances give a little back to the power grid after all those years of wasting so much electricity.
"If your spring cleaning includes parting ways with an old refrigerator or freezer, this program instantly pays off by making you money, and saving you money on your electric bill. And with our technology, virtually nothing from your old refrigerator or freezer goes to waste," said Michael Dunham, director of Energy and Environmental Programs for JACO Environmental.
|
