Every year in places like Antioch, San Leandro, Byron, and Livermore, people have old refrigerators that have died, or that have been replaced by new units. 

Unlike elephants, these beasts don’t have a secret graveyard to go to.

Instead, they too often end up in a landfill. Or the side of the road. But, more often than not, they end up in a garage, a shed, or even in a corner of the back porch, taking up space and collecting dust and rust!

But that doesn’t need to be the case.

When It’s Time for Refrigerator Disposal

Interesting fact: many refrigerators can weigh between 200 and 300 pounds.

If you have ever had to move one, you already know that large, household appliances of any type can be heavy, bulky, and hard to move. From average sized microwave ovens weighing in at over 50 pounds to new, oversized refrigerator-freezer units that boast a bodyweight of over 400 pounds, these are not one-person moving jobs.

So, why do it at all?

Because they all die eventually and must be disposed of. And there are few other reasons that old machines must go. Let’s use refrigerators as an example since that’s what we’re driving at anyway.

If the machine has been in the home for quite a few years, like more than 10, and the kitchen is being remodeled, then new kitchen appliances are usually coming in and this often includes a new refrigerator. 

Then there is the issue of a working, but malfunctioning refrigerator. 

A common symptom is noise. If the aging refrigerator begins to emit gurgling or grinding noises on a regular basis, it’s a good bet that something is not right. Or maybe it’s not noise but uneven or inconsistent cooling. 

One family lived for years with an aging fridge that randomly froze items in the cooling side of the unit. They finally got rid of it when they were selling their home and decided not to include a faulty refrigerator as part of the package. 

Repairing it earlier may have been an option but, after more than 10 years, it was probably better to replace it anyway. 

However, when they did decide to dispose of it, the task became a chore, which became a trial. After getting it out of the house (barely!) and down 10 steps from the front door, and loading it in a friend’s truck, they hauled it to the local waste transfer station.

Once there, they were told that it had to be taken to a specific location at the facility for appliances and pay a $47 disposal fee.

And they had to do all the work. 

The moral of that true story is that, regardless of why you need to dispose of your old refrigerator, you have other options besides doing it yourself.

>>> [Infographic] What You Need to Know About Refrigerator Disposal and Recycling <<<

Your (Best) Option for Refrigerator Disposal Isn’t DIY

While we understand the motivation behind wanting to do so, it remains that removing, hauling, and disposing of your own refrigerator is not a simple DIY project.

However, if you’re still thinking that “doing-it-yourself” is the way to go, you’re going to need a bit of guidance. So, with that in mind, we created this handy checklist to guide you through the process:

Things to Consider for Refrigerator Disposal

There are a few major problems to consider when moving major appliances like refrigerators. For starters, they can fall on you, tear up your floors and your walls, and possibly expose you to refrigerants such as Freon.

Not only is it a difficult, labor-intensive, and even dangerous task, it’s not even necessary since you can have the services of Junk King Contra Costa with a simple phone call.

However, there are also transportation and disposal issues to address.

It’s probably pretty apparent that you won’t be hauling a 350 pound side-by-side refrigerator in the back seat of any family car or even SUV. 

Most likely you will need to have a truck of some kind. It may be possible to use a cargo van or even a small pickup, but what if you don’t own one of these vehicles? Assuming you can borrow or rent a truck, you still have to consider where you’ll take it once you manage to get it in or on a truck.

As we noted in a previous blog article, there is only a short list of waste facilities in Contra Costa County, for example, that will accept old, working and non-working appliances. However, because not all of these can be reused, the county notes that,

“With the continuous advances of technology many appliances become obsolete. The cost of handing, transporting, repairing and/or recycling often exceeds the value of these items; as a result, many of these items require a special disposal fee.”

As we stressed already, DIY refrigerator disposal isn’t really that great of an alternative, especially when you realize that your best option is not only affordable, but is also easy, safe, and eco-friendly!

Who You Going to Call for Refrigerator Disposal? Junk King Contra Costa

Call on Junk King Contra Costa if you want the industry’s Number One appliance removal service for refrigerator disposal.

With a two-person junk removal team and a large junk removal truck, we have both the personnel and the equipment for safe and easy removal. Our trucks aren’t just “large” either but are up to 30 percent larger than our competitor’s trucks.

And that means we can take more of your junk for less money. Good for you, good for us, and good for the planet.

In addition to removing your old refrigerator quickly and efficiently, Junk King Contra Costa is committed to keeping as many of them as possible out of landfills. In fact, it is Junk King’s eco-friendly mission to ensure that as much junk gets recycled as possible.

Junk King is the only national company to work with local sorting facilities to achieve our goal of recycling 60 percent or more of every junk hauling job!

And, if your old refrigerator is still working, it can even be donated, which is something else we take care of, too.

Oh, and did we say “affordable” too?

In addition to our great service, our pricing is the lowest in our service area, whether that’s Berkeley, Walnut Creek, or Crockett. Fair and transparent pricing is one of our hallmarks.

In fact, we are confident that our prices are better than any comparable operator. In other words, a junk removal company that is licensed, insured, and fully committed to running an operation that is recycling-based and works hard to keep our landfills free of unnecessary junk materials, just like we do.

In addition, we offer free estimates as a part of our service along with four different ways to get an estimate:

1. GET ON SITE PRICING: This is the best and most accurate way for us to assess the job and offer you the lowest price with a free, no obligation on site estimate. 
2. CALL US AND TALK TO OUR TRAINED STAFF: You can call or live chat with our customer service representatives. 
3. TEXT US A PHOTO OF YOUR JUNK: If you can take photos of your items, text them to us at 737-888-5865, and we will text you back an estimate.
4. GET AN ONLINE PRICING ESTIMATE: Use our Pricing Estimator by simply clicking Pricing in the menu bar, scroll to “Pricing Estimator”, enter your zip code, and choose “Add My Items” or “By Pickup Truck Loads”.

Once our junk removal team shows up at your location, they will give you a firm, no obligation price on-site.

Your Appliance Removal Team in Contra Costa and Alameda Counties

Did you recently upgrade your refrigerator and now have some other appliances that you need to get rid of as well? Or perhaps it’s not appliances, but old furniture still taking up space after you upgraded to new home furnishings?

Junk King Contra Costa delivers efficient, safe, and eco-friendly refrigerator disposal and junk removal service so you don’t have to.

Our experienced appliance removal team will carefully remove and haul away all types of appliances, including your refrigerator. And our junk removal trucks are designed for those large, heavy items. (Unlike your family car!)

Ready to get rid of your old refrigerator? It’s as simple as 1, 2, 3. You need only make an appointment with us by booking online above, or by calling us at 1.888.888.JUNK (5865).

Our professional and insured appliance removal team will show up at your home or office, and we’ll call 15 to 30 minutes before we arrive. Once there, we’ll give you a free estimate based on how much room your junk takes up in our truck.

You simply point and we’ll load that old refrigerator into our junk removal truck and haul it away with no hidden fees.