AEP Ohio's Appliance Recycling Program

One day when I was surfing the internet, I stumbled upon GridSmartOhio and learned of American Electric Power (AEP) ohio's recycling program. The program provides an incentive rebate to AEP Ohio customers for recycling their extra refrigerators or freezers.

Many people continue to use their older refrigerators for storage after they buy a new one. Those older appliances can account for approximately 15 percent of the average AEP Ohio customer’s electric use. Refrigerators and freezers manufactured before 1990 can use as much as 1,500 kilowatt hours (kWh) a year. Retiring a second refrigerator or freezer could result in savings of up to $150 on energy costs annually.

We happened to have an old freezer in our garage which I already stopped using after it was determined not so green. I signed up online for a free pickup and gave it away on my scheduled date, though the pickup guy broke it into two pieces while loading it. I received the incentive check of $35 in a month. The recycling program is still ongoing and they even have a holiday special for a check of $50 until Dec. 31, 2011.

Customers can participate in the Appliance Recycling Program by calling 1-877-545-4112 or visiting gridSMARTohio.com to schedule a free pickup. Refrigerators or freezers must be at least 10 cubic feet in size and operational at the time of pickup.

The old units are sent to an appliance recycling facility operated by JACO Environmental, so is the incentive check from. A leading, national provider of appliance recycling services, JACO’s process includes the recycling of nearly 95 percent of each refrigerator including metals, plastic, oils and the foam insulation.