We all make New Year’s resolutions. Some of us are committed to taking our responsibilities to the environment more seriously. 82% are focused on improving health, and cleaning up our financial pictures also top the list. Unfortunately, about 80% give up on resolutions by March.
If you have resolved to be gentler and kinder to the environment, there are ways that you can keep your resolution that are relatively painless. For example, instead of throwing away your old air conditioner, you can donate air conditioner parts and more.
Appliances Are Not Being Disposed of Properly
Defunct appliances are often referred to as white goods. You do not have to be an environmental expert to see the damages that old appliances are doing to our environment. They are often found filling up landfills, where they release dangerous chemicals into the ground.
If you donate air conditioner parts or old units, you become a part of the solution. An air conditioner often needs to be replaced. What do you do with the old system? Most people simply discard them, and they wind up in the landfill.
Sticking to your New Years’ resolution by making one simple change can help you stay on track. For example, thinking about where your old air conditioner will go after you have a new air conditioning system installed can be a great step in the right direction.
You can make arrangements to donate air conditioner systems and parts. You can even ask your HVAC service expert to not take your old unit with them because you want to donate air conditioner parts to a good cause.
The Proper Way to Dispose of Appliances
The absolute best way to dispose of any appliance is to recycle it. Many of us will replace things like mobile home air conditioning, stoves, and refrigerators before our appliances break down. We often will upgrade to something more energy-efficient or modern.
Around 6 million air conditioners are disposed of each year, 9 million refrigerators and freezers are disposed of. and about 1 million dehumidifiers are disposed of each year. These appliances contain refrigerants that are harmful to the environment. When they are not disposed of properly, it puts our water supplies at risk. The federal government regulates the handling of old appliances, but unfortunately, there is no real tracking or tracing involved to ensure that refrigerant, PCB’s, and mercury are actually removed from these appliances before they are sent to the landfill or scrapped.
Helping the environment and keeping in line with your New Years’ resolution can be as simple as resolving to do better when it comes to discarding appliances, electronics, and other waste. Proper disposal is vital to our environment.
What is the proper way to dispose of appliances? The best way to dispose of an appliance like your old ac is to donate air conditioner for parts. Of course, if your old window unit is still blowing cold, there is an easy way to dispose of it. Give it away to someone in your community who can use it.
If your appliance has some life left in it, you can donate it to someone local who needs it. A new homeowner just starting out can make good use of your old stove. A person on a fixed income who cannot afford a new ac installation would love to get a couple of years more out of your old one.
If you can’t find a new home for your old appliance, the best way to dispose of it is to connect with a trusted recycling company. All the refrigerant, mercury, and PCB’s have to be removed. In most cases, when you connect with a recycling company, they will strip down the appliance then sell off the parts that can be sold.
Donation is Best
A recycling company will strip apart your old air conditioner and sell off the parts that they can. When you donate air conditioner parts or the whole unit, you give the parts to a charity that can benefit from it.
Making a direct donation of your heating and air conditioning system to a charity cuts out the middle man and the profiteering. The main thing that keeps people from making these donations is that they have no idea where to start.
Who can you donate air conditioner, stoves, refrigerators, and other old appliances to? There are some good causes out there that would love to have your old appliances. Keep reading to learn more about which charities will let you donate air conditioner appliances, refrigerators, and other appliances.
Salvation Army
The Salvation Army may offer appliance pick up services in your area. The Salvation Army does a lot of good work. They have hundreds of thrift stores across the United States that support their programs. You can visit their website to learn more about appliance pick up services in your area. All you need to do is plug in your zip code, and the search engine on the website will let you know if they will pick up your appliances or if you can drop them off at a central collection location.
The Salvation Army has helped generations of Americans rise above poverty through a wide range of programs. They assist with education, housing, food, medical costs, shelters, and so much more. It is one of the longest standing charities in the United States.
The Salvation Army does request that the appliances are in working condition. They do not accept any types of gas-powered appliances. If your old air conditioner works, you can donate air conditioner to the Salvation Army. If it doesn’t, there may be some other options for you.
Habitat for Humanity
Habitat for Humanity is an international organization that builds homes for low-income families. They also accept used appliances for donations. These appliances are refurbished when necessary then sold in the Habitat Rehome stores across the country to support their programs. If you want to donate air conditioner units, refrigerators, or other appliances, call your local chapter to see if pickup is available.
Habitat for Humanity has built over 300,000 homes around the world. More than 1 million people live in a Habitat Home in over 3,000 communities. This organization makes a tremendous difference in many people’s lives. The Rehome Stores are thrift stores that resell appliances, furniture, building materials, and more. They build homes for the community using part of the proceeds from these donations, and they give new life to old appliances and more by selling them in the community at very affordable prices.
St. Vincent DePaul
This well-established charitable organization is a faith-based group with several programs in place to help people get the assistance they need. You can call your local chapter and inquire about appliance pick up services or drop off services. They run thrift shops throughout the US to help support their programs and help low-income people afford the goods they need.
St. Vincent De Paul Society has one goal in mind. They focus on fighting poverty through personal assistance with housing, food, and more. They have education programs to help people get the training they need to improve their lives. You can be a part of the good that they do by donating your old ac or other old appliances.
Donation Feels So Good
Donating to a worthy cause feels really good. Knowing that your old appliance is bringing someone else joy or that the proceeds from that appliance helps out your community is a hard feeling to replace. Of course, you can also feel good about your tax deduction.
We have been so focused on the environmental good that we forgot to mention when you donate air conditioner units, you get a nice tax deduction for it. Of course, you want to make sure that you are donating to a registered non-profit.
The value of your appliance can be assessed by the receiving non-profit, and they can provide you with a receipt for your tax records. According to the IRS website, your donation can be worth up to $500. You are allowed to claim the actual value of the appliance or the standard $500, whichever is higher.
That means when you make an old appliance donation, you get to help someone out, do something good for the environment, and save some money on your taxes. That sounds like a real winning situation. Don’t forget you can also move a little closer to making your “environmentally” conscience New Years’ resolution a reality. You win all around.
Ask a Professional
If you cannot find a charity in your area that will accept your donation, consider calling HVAC contractors and asking them where you can donate. Air conditioning contractors are very likely to know about programs in your area that will ensure that your old unit does not wind up in the trash heap. Inquiring about where to donate your air conditioner may even result in an offer to pick it up for you.
How Can You Reduce Waste
There are other ways to ensure that your old appliances do not wind up in the landfill. For example, before you buy new and replace, consider having HVAC contractors give you pricing for repairs. Keeping your old unit (unless it is seriously out of date) can be a great way to cut down on waste.
A trusted HVAC service will be honest about whether it is worth fixing your old unit or not. They will also let you know how long you can expect your old unit to last with the repairs. You can weigh out your options to decide if it is worth fixing or not.
Many people make the mistake of panicking when they need HVAC repairs, thinking that they will need to replace the unit. But in many cases, an inexpensive repair is all that’s needed. Before you jump the gun and buy new, consider fixing what you have.
Avoiding the Problem All Together
To avoid the dilemma of finding a place to donate air conditioner units is to take care of the ones that you have. Regular tune-ups and maintenance of your current unit do a few things:
- A well maintained unit uses less energy. Less energy use means being kinder to the environment.
- A well-maintained unit will last longer. You can extend the life of your unit by years if you ensure that it is getting the proper maintenance.
- Ultimately, a well-maintained unit is good for the environment and your wallet as well.
Part of the environmental movement is to use what you have instead of buying new. However, in some cases, keeping what you have may not be the best thing for the environment. Air conditioner replacement can be the smarter choice. Older units are not usually Energy Star compliant like the newer appliances are today. They can actually be more harmful to the environment to keep.
You and your HVAC professional can make the decision together as to whether it is better to keep or replace your old ac unit. If keeping it simply does not make sense, be sure that you look into places that you can donate air conditioner units to or speak to your HVAC specialist about what will happen to your old unit.
It is important to the planet that we all take responsibility for how white goods are disposed of and seek out ways to give them a second life if possible. Recycling your unit may mean donating it to a charity or sending it off with a bona fide recycling company. Either way, don’t just put it out at the curb and forget about it. Stick to your resolution to be kinder to the environment this year.