Driving through your neighborhood you might see a freezer or refrigerator standing near the garage door. It’s not turned toward the garage door because it’s bashful. Clark Public Utilities and its recyclers ask anyone recycling an old one to face it toward a building to protect curious children. There it awaits its last ride.

Often garages and man caves take in vintage refrigerators or freezers, some dating back to the 1960s. While it seems acceptable to move them to a garage or basement when the new one is delivered, it may not pay off. These antique appliances use as much as three times more energy than the newest models. In return for keeping drinks cool, they boost the monthly electric bill big time.

Give a second thought to selling one, too. Recouping a little cash by selling it, or gifting it to a friend or neighbor, actually decreases the overall energy efficiency in our region over time. From a power savings viewpoint, recycling older ones puts those energy hogs permanently out of service.

The process is simple. When a customer requests fridge or freezer recycling, the utility representative will schedule the pick-up right then. Pick-up dates are limited to Monday through Thursday each week.

To schedule a pickup of your old refrigerator or freezer (must be in working order), call 360-992-3000.

Or, if you’d prefer to take care of it yourself, you can take your appliance to one of the Clark County Transfer Stations and pay $20.25 to have it recycled. Just be sure to call ahead and make sure they are open.