Ninety-five percent of an old unit can be reused or safely discarded, benefitting the environment and consumers
NEGAUNEE TWP. -- An Upper Peninsula wide program is giving people the chance to recycle old appliances.
Thursday on your TV6 Morning News, Rich Marshall from Jaco Environmental explained the benefits of the service that is offered by all utility companies in the U.P.
Marshall said when people upgrade to an energy efficient refrigerator, they save an average of $150 a year on their energy bill. When they hand that old fridge over to the program, participants get a $30 rebate. Ninety-five percent of the old unit can be recycled, starting with the exterior.
"There's the steel that gets recycled, plastic, the foam insulation in a refrigerator actually has some ozone depleting chemicals in it," said Marshall. "And we destroy that in a waste to energy generator."
Glass from the interior of the refrigerator can be used as an aggregate for highway concrete. Copper from the electric cord, plastic from the shelving, and metal from the handles are among the other reusable parts.
To learn more about the program, go to www.upfridge.com or call (877) 270-3519.
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forWLUC