The new fridge comes Saturday, and the old one is still humming in your kitchen in Irvington. To dispose of a refrigerator in Indianapolis, don't drag it to the curb with your heavy trash. A fridge or freezer goes out on its own Freon pickup, and you book it with the city.
Call the Mayor's Action Center at 317-327-4622 to set it up. Plan on about ten business days, so call now and not on the day the new one shows up.
Freon is the cooling gas sealed inside a fridge, a freezer or an AC unit. It has to be taken out the right way, and that's why these three can't go out like an old stove.
Start with where your old fridge stands right now:
- If it still works: it still can't go out as heavy trash. Sell it, give it away, or book the city's Freon pickup.
- If it's dead, or seems to be: not sure? A repair price will tell you. If it's done for, book the Freon pickup.
- If you need it gone today: the city pickup takes about ten business days, so today won't happen. Use a hauler or scrap yard instead, and ask how they deal with the Freon before they load it.
Can I dump a fridge for free?
Not with your heavy trash. The city takes fridges and freezers on a separate Freon pickup, and its Report a Trash Pickup Issue page says to allow ten business days for that pickup.
That's about two weeks. Ask the Mayor's Action Center whether there's a charge when you book.
Read the exact wording
"Please allow ten business days for collection of a scheduled freon pickup (includes refrigerator, freezer, AC unit, etc)."
You can book by phone at 317-327-4622 or online on that same city page. The phone line is open on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., but on Thursdays it closes from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.
What to have ready when you call
- Your address, and the best number to reach you.
- What's going: a fridge, a freezer, an AC unit, or more than one.
- Your questions: Is there a charge? Where should I set it out? What day should I expect the pickup?
Write down the date you booked. Keep any request number they give you, too, since you'll want both if ten business days go by and the fridge is still sitting there.
Does a mini fridge count?
Yes, it does. A mini fridge holds Freon too, so it can't go in your trash cart even if it fits. The city's Trash 101 page lists "Appliances containing Freon or refrigerants" among the things the cart can't take.
A stove or a water heater is a different story. Both can go out as heavy trash, and what counts as heavy trash in Indianapolis has the full list and the two-a-month limit.
How do you legally dispose of a fridge?
Make sure the Freon comes out first. Federal law puts that job on the last stop, such as a scrap yard or a landfill, and not on you, so pick that last stop with care.
The EPA's safe disposal page is plain about it. The scrap yard or landfill has to make sure the gas is out. You don't.
If someone took it out sooner, there must be a signed note that gives the name and address of whoever did it, plus the date. A sticker on the side doesn't count, the EPA says.
Read the exact wording
"… is responsible for ensuring that refrigerant is recovered from equipment before its final disposal."
"EPA does not mandate or accept a sticker as a form of verification that the refrigerant has been properly recovered prior to disposal."
Your two good options
- Book the city's Freon pickup. This works if you can wait about ten business days. While it waits outside where kids can reach it, city code says to lock it and pull the key, take off the latches, or take the door off. See the rule about the doors on an old fridge.
- Hand it to a hauler or scrap yard that deals with the Freon. If someone takes the gas out first, keep that signed note.
Questions to ask a hauler or scrap yard
- How do you handle the Freon? Get a clear answer before the fridge leaves your house.
- Will I get a signed note? It should show who took the gas out, their address and the date.
- What's the full price? Ask if anything gets added on pickup day.
Indiana's environment agency, IDEM, backs this up on its Recycle Indiana page.
An old fridge isn't just scrap metal anymore. The gas, some small parts and the oil inside all have rules of their own, and those rules come from both the state and the federal government.
Read the exact wording
"Appliances; these items can no longer be handled simply as scrap metal. Several components, including Freon, PCB-containing capacitors and ballasts, mercury switches, and oil from refrigerant compressors, must be handled according to state and federal regulations."
And don't cut the lines to let the gas out. For older gases like R-134a, 40 CFR 82.154 says no one may let it out into the air on purpose, and that includes you on moving day. The same rule leaves out the gas in many newer fridges, such as isobutane (R-600a), but that gas can catch fire, so leave the lines alone either way.
Where can I get free appliance removal in Indianapolis?
Not from AES Indiana anymore. Its appliance recycling page now says the program has ended.
The page sends you to IDEM's list of places that recycle instead, but if you live in the city, the Freon pickup is the place to start.
Read the exact wording
"AES Indiana no longer offers an appliance recycling program."
Buying a new freezer?
AES Indiana pays its home customers $25 for an ENERGY STAR freezer, but AES has to get your form within 90 days of the day you bought it. Keep the receipt and the model and serial numbers, because the form asks for them.
There's no AES rebate for a new fridge. The details are on AES Indiana's appliance rebates page.
Should you fix the old fridge instead?
First, be sure it's dead. If it runs but won't get cold, go through the fridge checks in our Freon guide first.
Still not sure? A repair price will tell you, so get one before the pickup truck comes. See who we send repair calls to, and why.