Appliances are two different problems wearing the same label. A washer, dryer or stove is a big box of steel that a scrap yard actually wants. A refrigerator, freezer, air conditioner or dehumidifier contains refrigerant, and that changes everything about how it has to be handled. Refrigerator disposal in NJ has more rules than any other household item, and also the only option on this list that pays you.
Start at the top and work down.
Option 1: If It Still Works, Your Electric Company May Pay You for It
This is the one most people have never heard of. New Jersey’s electric utilities run appliance recycling programs that pick up old, working, energy-hungry units for free and mail you a check.
Most of South Jersey is Atlantic City Electric territory. Its Appliance Recycling Program currently offers:
- $100 for each working refrigerator or freezer between 10 and 30 cubic feet.
- $50 for a working dehumidifier.
- An additional $50 for a working room air conditioner picked up at the same visit.
Pickup is free, indoor or outdoor, and the check arrives four to six weeks later. You need to be a residential Atlantic City Electric customer and own the appliance. Schedule through the utility’s website or at 1-866-353-0007. Mini fridges do not qualify.
PSE&G and JCP&L run their own versions for their customers. Check the logo on your electric bill, because not every address qualifies: some towns, Vineland among them, have their own municipal electric utility.
The catch is in the word “working.” The unit has to cool. If the garage fridge died two summers ago, this option is closed and you are on to the next one.
Option 2: Donate a Working Appliance
Clean, working washers, dryers, stoves and refrigerators have takers. Habitat ReStores accept appliances at many locations, and some offer pickup. Call first, since many have age and condition limits.
Option 3: Your Town’s Metal or Appliance Pickup
Almost every South Jersey town collects appliances, but rarely with regular trash and almost never without a phone call. What local municipalities publish:
- Cherry Hill: appliances are collected on Wednesdays only. Call Public Works at (856) 424-4422 by 3:00pm Tuesday.
- Monroe Township (Williamstown): metal is picked up every Friday by request. The request has to be in by 2:00pm Thursday, at 856-629-4444.
- Deptford: metal appliances are collected by arrangement with Public Works, (856) 228-4719. Doors secured or removed.
- Glassboro: appliances are part of the borough’s required recycling. Doors off, and call the Highway Office at 856-881-8422.
- Millville: Public Works collects metal and appliances during the last full week of each month, with a limit of two appliances.
- Bridgeton: white goods are collected the last full week of the month on your regular trash day, with a city sticker on each.
Every one of these starts at the curb. Getting a refrigerator out of a basement is your job.
The Two Rules That Apply Everywhere
Take the doors off
Towns across the region require doors to be removed, or at least secured, before a refrigerator or freezer goes outside. It is a child-safety rule, and crews can leave a unit that still has its door on. Take the door off before it leaves the house, not at the curb.
Do not touch the refrigerant
Under Section 608 of the federal Clean Air Act it is illegal to knowingly release refrigerant during the disposal of refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment. The scrap recycler or landfill that makes the final disposal has to recover the refrigerant with certified equipment, or have documentation that someone already did.
In practical terms: never cut the lines on a fridge, freezer, window unit or dehumidifier, and never strip one for copper. That is the step that turns a free pickup into a federal violation.
Option 4: Take It to the County Yourself
The Gloucester County Solid Waste Complex in South Harrison Township lists a flat $30 fee for a large appliance as of January 2026. You will need a personal vehicle, not a rental truck, and it is hand-unload only. Hours and vehicle rules are in where to dump trash in Gloucester County.
For appliances without refrigerant, a local scrap metal yard is usually the better trip. Washers, dryers, stoves, dishwashers and water heaters are mostly steel, and many yards take them at no charge.
Option 5: Have It Hauled
Worth paying for when:
- It is in the basement. A full-size refrigerator weighs a couple of hundred pounds or more and has to go up the stairs on a dolly with two people. This is where backs and drywall get damaged.
- It does not work, so the utility program is out, and your town’s pickup is weeks away.
- There are several. Estate and rental cleanouts routinely turn up a kitchen set, a basement fridge, a chest freezer and two window units.
Our appliance removal service takes every appliance on this page. Units containing refrigerant carry a disposal surcharge at the facility because of the certified handling involved. We pass it through at cost and name it in the quote before you agree. See what we take and how junk removal pricing works.
Quick Reference
- Working fridge, freezer, dehumidifier or window AC: utility recycling program, free pickup plus a rebate.
- Working washer, dryer or stove: donate.
- Dead appliance, ground floor, no rush: town metal pickup. Call first, doors off.
- Dead appliance without refrigerant: scrap yard.
- Basement, deadline or several units: junk removal.
- Never: cut refrigerant lines or leave a unit outside with the door on.
Rebate amounts, town schedules and fees change. Confirm with your utility, your public works department or the county facility before relying on any of the above.
Appliance Disposal FAQs
How do I get rid of an old refrigerator in NJ?
If it works, your electric utility may pick it up free and pay a rebate. If it does not, use your town’s metal or appliance pickup, take it to the county solid waste facility, or hire a junk removal company. Remove the doors and never cut the refrigerant lines.
Will Atlantic City Electric pay me for my old refrigerator?
Yes, if it works. The Atlantic City Electric Appliance Recycling Program currently offers $100 for a working refrigerator or freezer between 10 and 30 cubic feet, $50 for a working dehumidifier, and an additional $50 for a room air conditioner picked up at the same time. Pickup is free for residential customers.
Can I put a refrigerator at the curb in New Jersey?
Only under your town’s appliance rules. Most South Jersey towns collect appliances on a specific day or by appointment rather than with regular trash, and require the doors to be removed or secured first.
Is it illegal to release refrigerant from an old appliance?
Yes. Section 608 of the federal Clean Air Act prohibits knowingly releasing refrigerant during the disposal of refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment. The final disposer must recover the refrigerant with certified equipment or verify that it was already recovered.
How much does it cost to dispose of an appliance at the Gloucester County landfill?
The Gloucester County Solid Waste Complex lists a $30 fee for a large appliance as of January 1, 2026. Homeowners must use a personal vehicle and unload by hand.
Want It Out of the Basement Today?
Roadside Cleanouts is Steven, Debbie and Gary, a family crew based in Franklinville and working across New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware. Tell us what it is and where it is sitting, and we will give you a price before we come out.
Call or text (848) 221-7034, or use our contact page. Seven days a week, 7am to 7pm.