Appliance Recycling Pickup: Free & Paid Options Compared [2026]

Your electric utility may pick up your old appliance for free AND pay you a rebate. These programs exist because old appliances waste energy — your utility saves money when you recycle them.

How it works: Call your utility or visit their website, schedule a pickup, and they send a crew to haul away your old fridge or freezer. You get a check or bill credit, typically $50-150. The appliance must be working and plugged in when they arrive.

Major utility programs in 2026:

• •Consumers Energy (MI): Free pickup + $50 rebate for working fridge/freezer
• •PSE&G (NJ): Free pickup + up to $150 rebate for qualifying units
• •BGE (MD): Free pickup + $50 rebate for working fridge/freezer
• •PPL Electric (PA): Free standard pickup for fridge, freezer, dehumidifier, room AC
• •Alliant Energy (IA/WI): Free pickup + recycling for fridge/freezer
• •PNM (NM): Free fridge/freezer recycling
• •Xcel Energy (CO): $50 bill credit for working fridge pickup

Find your program: Visit energystar.gov/products/recycle to search for recycling programs by zip code. Over 60 utilities nationwide offer free appliance pickup with rebates.

The catch: most programs only accept refrigerators and freezers, and the unit must be in working condition. Washers, dryers, stoves, and dishwashers typically don't qualify.

Scrap metal collectors will pick up appliances for free because the metal has value. This works for ANY appliance in ANY condition — working or broken, old or new.

How to find free scrap pickup:

• •Search "free appliance pickup" or "scrap metal pickup" on Craigslist in your area
• •Post on Facebook Marketplace: "Free appliance — you haul"
• •Call local scrap yards — many offer free curbside pickup for large appliances
• •Check AppliancePickupNow.com and TakeMyAppliance.com for free pickup services

A Reddit user on r/Frugal noted: "If you buy a new appliance at a store, don't pay the $50 haul-away fee. Scrap metal companies will come pick it up for free."

Scrap collectors are most interested in washers, dryers, water heaters, and stoves because they contain valuable steel and copper. Refrigerators are trickier due to CFC/refrigerant handling requirements, so some scrap collectors decline them.

The trade-off: free scrap pickup is unreliable. You might wait days, and the collector might not show up at all. For guaranteed same-day pickup, Dropcurb handles curbside appliances for $79.

Paid appliance recycling pickup ranges from $49.99 to $250+ depending on the service and whether the crew enters your home.

Retailer haul-away ($49.99): Best Buy charges $49.99 to haul away an old appliance when delivering a replacement. Home Depot and Lowe's offer similar services at $25-50 when purchasing a new appliance. Without a new purchase, Best Buy charges $49.99 for standalone haul-away of up to 2 large items.

Curbside pickup ($79): Dropcurb picks up any appliance you can get to the curb for $79 flat. No appointment window, no on-site estimate, no crew inside your home. Book online and a hauler picks it up same day.

In-home pickup ($75-150+): LoadUp charges $75-95 for a single appliance with a $50-80 service area fee. Total for one fridge: $125-175. They carry it out of your home and handle disposal.

Full-service junk removal ($130-250+): 1-800-GOT-JUNK and College Hunks send uniformed crews with branded trucks. Expect $130-180 for a single appliance, $200-400 for multiple. College Hunks adds a $99 dispatch fee on every job.

If your old appliance is at the curb or in the garage, the $79 Dropcurb rate saves 40-60% vs full-service companies.

Every major city handles appliance recycling differently. Here's what's available in the top metros.

New York City: DSNY provides free curbside pickup for CFC-containing appliances (fridges, freezers, AC units). Schedule through NYC311. Non-CFC appliances go out with regular metal recycling. Processing takes 1-2 weeks.

Los Angeles: LASAN collects large metal appliances through scheduled bulky item pickup — free for residents. Call 311 or use the MyLA311 app.

Chicago: Drop off at the City's recycling facility at 1150 N. North Branch St. for free. The Salvation Army and Habitat ReStore also pick up working appliances. Bulk pickup through 311 is free but takes 2-4 weeks.

Houston: Heavy trash collection one week per month by neighborhood. Working appliances can go to Habitat ReStore or the Houston Free Appliance Removal service for free pickup.

Phoenix: Free appliance drop-off at city transfer stations — up to 1 ton per month at no cost. Curbside bulk collection is included with regular trash service during designated weeks.

Yes — if they're in working condition. Donation gets you a tax write-off and keeps appliances out of landfills.

Habitat for Humanity ReStore: Accepts working appliances and offers free pickup in most metro areas. Call your local ReStore to confirm they're currently accepting appliances and schedule a date.

Salvation Army: Accepts working major appliances through their donation pickup service. Schedule at salvationarmyusa.org or call 1-800-SA-TRUCK. They won't take non-working units.

GE Appliances donation program: Partners with Salvation Army and Habitat for Humanity to facilitate appliance donations nationwide.

What they won't take: Broken appliances, units with cosmetic damage, appliances older than 10-15 years (too inefficient to resell), or any appliance with gas leaks or refrigerant issues. If your appliance doesn't qualify for donation, Dropcurb picks it up curbside for $79 and ensures responsible recycling.