Recycling Process

How we recycle your appliance.

Nearly 100% of each unit is recycled at a Columbus, Ohio recycling facility. All recycling procedures follow guidelines and best practices from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). DP&L is a utility partner in the EPA’s Responsible Appliance Disposal Program.

JACO, a contractor hired to recycle refrigerators for DP&L, safely disposes of toxins and ozone-destroying chlorofluorocarbon (CFC-11) gases from foam insulation. After capturing toxins (oils, mercury, pcbs) and ozone-depleting substances, (CFC-11 and other foam insulation blowing agents and CFC-12 and other refrigerants) JACO recycles all the plastic, metals and glass in the fridge, thus limiting landfill waste.

Step-by-Step Process

  1. Metals and plastics – Remove interior metal and plastic and recycle.
  2. Glass – Remove and crush glass shelving and ship to nearby glass recycler.
  3. Refrigerator unit – Cut appliance into multiple pieces so metal, plastic and foam can be separated. Ship separated plastics and metals to a local handler for resale.
  4. Polyurethane foam insulation – Place foam in large plastic bags and seal to prevent escape of gasses. Ship bags to nearby waste-to-energy incinerators for complete and safe destruction. Each bag incinerated will produce 15 kWh of electricity back to the grid.
  5. Oils and refrigerant – Remove ozone-destroying refrigerant and/or compressor oils that may be contaminated by refrigerant (CFC-12 or HFC-134a). Heat oils to distill refrigerant. Refrigerant is shipped to a qualified handler where the oils can be recycled for use in other industrial equipment.
  6. Compressor – Remove capacitor for recycling. Capacitors suspected of containing hazardous PCBs are shipped to a qualified handler for proper destruction.
  7. Mercury-containing devices – Remove mercury-containing switches and thermostats and ship to a qualified handler for recycling.