Recycle Your Fridge: Get Money, Save Money

With El Paso hitting record-high temperatures, residents are putting a strain on both their electric bills and the power grid as air conditioning units run all day and night.

El Paso Electric Company officials are looking to ease energy usage by urging El Pasoans to recycle old refrigerators or their home’s second refrigerator, which is typically stored in a garage. Paul Royalty, the manager of the Energy Efficiency and Utilization Department of EPE, told ABC-7 fridges use more energy to keep cool in a hot garage. Saving energy, he said, translates into saving money.

“You can save anywhere from $100 to $250 a year on your electric bill, depending on how old your refrigerator is,” said Royalty.

El Paso Electric will pay participants in the program $30 for recycling a fridge. The plastic interior isn’t the only part of the appliance that’s recyclable.

“What we do is we recycle the metal, the glass, all the insulation, the refrigerant that’s on the inside. And we do that in an environmentally friendly way,” Royalty said.

While the recycling program saves consumers money and helps the environment, it also helps the electric company.

“We would like to get (the fridge) off the grid. That way, we can … delay building another generator,” said Royalty.

If you would like to participate in the refrigerator recycling program, call 1-877-643-1956 or click here.