What Does Home Depot Do With Old Appliances?

When you're having a new appliance from Home Depot installed, it's often easier to pay a little extra to have the old one hauled away. But you may be wondering what Home Depot actually does with those old appliances. Thankfully, since 2019, the company has made efforts to recycle old appliances pulled out of homes. All of its Market Delivery Operations are set up to recycle metals from old appliances. Major companies like Home Depot pushing to recycle when they can is no small thing. According to the EPA, over 2 million tons worth of major appliances were dumped in landfills in 2018 alone. 

Scheduling appliance haul-away through Home Depot is relatively easy. All you need to do is make sure the old one is empty and disconnected. Essentially, the item needs to be able to be picked up and hauled right out of the door without any extra work from the team. Even though it does cost a little more to have Home Depot haul away your appliance (usually between $25 and $50), it may be worth it to know the headache is taken care of, and the appliance is actually being recycled. For example, if you're trying to get rid of your old washer and dryer after buying a new set, you can just let Home Depot take care of it, instead of spending time and energy trying to figure out your local regulations.

Hauled away large appliances aren't the only items Home Depot is working on recycling. Shipping materials such as soft plastic film wrap, Styrofoam, lumber strapping, storage totes, and cardboard are all recycled or repurposed. Plastic shelving, unusable returns, and unsellable products are often sent out to be recycled as well.

Home Depot also has a customer recycling service where items like plastic bags, light bulbs, and rechargeable batteries can be dropped off in the store, and the company will handle all of the recycling and disposal for you, for no cost. Sometimes, if the store sells automotive batteries, there are also battery core drop-off options. Near the entrance of the store are bins where you can leave batteries under 11 pounds and 300 watt-hours, unbroken compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), and shopping bags. While you can certainly declutter old plastic bags with easy storage by folding them into tight squares, if you aren't realistically going to use them all, consider dropping some off at your local Home Depot.

Most stores with outdoor centers will take back the plastic pots they sell plants in, instead of letting millions go to landfills. If you're aware of the savvy shopping secrets DIYers know about Home Depot and took advantage of an end-of-season plant sale and now have stacks of empty plastic nursery pots, consider returning them to Home Depot for reuse or recycling.