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| Refridgerator Recycling $$$ | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Sep 3 2009, 08:12 AM (316 Views) | |
| Mrs.M | Sep 3 2009, 08:12 AM Post #1 |
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Veteran
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New Livonia firm recycles refrigerators By Ken Abramczyk • OBSERVER STAFF WRITER • August 30, 2009 With the economy being what it is, homeowners might consider hanging onto their old refrigerator and just keep fixing it. But if that old refrigerator happens to be a second unit to keep food and beverages cold in the basement or garage, homeowners might want to reconsider recycling it to cut back on their electric bill. Livonia is home to a new refrigerator recycling plant, opened Aug. 12. JACO Environmental, located at 30957 Industrial, de-manufactures appliances using a process to remove oils and freon. The plant opening coincided with the kickoff of DTE Energy's “cash for clunkers” appliance recycling program. The program offers Detroit Edison customers $50 for their older model refrigerators and freezers and hauls them away for free. Federal standards have required since 2001 that new refrigerators and freezers consume less energy. Older units can use up to 1,500 kilowatt hours annually, while new models use about 450 kilowatt hours. “Refrigerators and freezers manufactured before 1990 typically use three times more electricity than new appliances and can cost a typical household an average of $150 a year to run,” said Steven Kurmas, Detroit Edison's president and chief operating officer, in a prepared statement at a press conference earlier this month. The program will help the utility meet a state-mandated goal of a 5.5-percent reduction in consumption of energy by 2012. So far, more than 1,000 units have been turned in, and 3,000 more are scheduled for pickup, according to Michael Duncan, director of energy and environmental programs for JACO Environmental. He believes the demand is due to environmental awareness and economic issues. “It has to do with the economic situation there, and people have these old units in their garages,” Duncan said Tuesday. “We try to deliver the message that it costs you $200 a year to keep that beer cold. The savings on the electric bill is a big part of (the program).” The rebates are being funded through a $2 surcharge on electric bills, Duncan said. DTE proposed an energy optimization program to the Michigan Public Utilities Commission earlier this year that mentioned the surcharges. The plant brings 20 new Michigan green jobs. To dismantle the refrigerators, workers remove shelves and cut out the compressor with a tool similar to the “jaws of life” used by firefighters, Duncan said. The metal exterior and plastic liner are cut apart. Foam insulation containing CFC-11, used as a blowing agent for polyurethane foam insulation manufactured between 1965 and 1993, is placed in bags and shipped to a waste-to-energy incinerator. Each bag incinerated produces 15 kilowatt hours back to the grid. Cooling circuits also are punctured to evacuate refrigerant-contaminated compressor oils (CFC-12 or freon) and refrigerant. Oils are heated to distill refrigerant, which is shipped to a qualified handler. Oils can be recycled for use in other industrial equipment. Duncan said removing the freon and foam insulation and the carbon emissions and greenhouse gasses is the environmental equivalent to removing a car's emissions from the earth's atmosphere for a year. When older refrigerators and freezers are improperly discarded or dumped in landfills, they can leach a host of toxic substances into the air and soil. Duncan said JACO Environmental in Livonia has been contracted by DTE, Consumers Energy and Lansing Board of Water and Light to recycle appliances. To schedule a pickup of a refrigerator for recycling, Detroit Edison customers can call (866) 796-0512 or visit the company's YourEnergySavings.com Web site. Customers will receive a check for $50 four to six weeks after the collection of the appliance. Both refrigerators and freezers are eligible for the program. The program is limited to the removal of two units per household. Appliances to be recycled must be in working order with an inside measurement of 10 cubic feet or more. kabramcz@hometownlife.com | (313) 222-2591 |
| I'd agree with you, but then we'd both be WRONG. | |
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