I needed to get rid of an old refrigerator, and I wasn’t buying a new one to replace it. I guess I could have done the traditional Richmond thing and dropped it off under cover of darkness on one of Richmond’s dark industrial streets, but I wanted to set a good example and do the responsible thing.

So I started looking on the Internet for information. Richmond Sanitary/ Republic Services doesn’t have an Internet web site, so no help there – at first. Then I looked on the West Contra Costa Integrated Waste Management Authority website (www.recyclemore.org) and found lots of information about how to get rid of almost everything except my refrigerator.  

I then I emailed Sheryl Granzella at Richmond Sanitary and Steve Devine at the West Contra Costa Integrated Waste Management Authority, and bingo! Here is what I found out:

• I can drop it off at Sims/Hugo New in Richmond for free. Call first at 510-412-5300 (see location information below).
• I can drop it off at the West Contra Costa Sanitary Landfill for $40.25.
• I can call Richmond Sanitary at 510/262-1600 for a bulky item pickup at my home (curbside) that happens every Tuesday. The cost is $40.25.
• I can call Jaco Environmental at 800/741-0172, and they will pick it up at my home for $35.00. They have a Richmond route on Fridays between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. at curbside.
• I can take it to the Berkeley Transfer Station for $38.00.

I learned that disposing of refrigerators is more complicated than other appliances because they have Freon, which has to be removed. If a refrigerator is in working condition, Jaco will pick it up free, and there is actually a PG&E rebate of $35 for a new refrigerator that can be arranged through Jaco.

What I have decided to do is drop it off at Sims/Hugo New. Fortunately, I have access to a pickup truck; otherwise I would have to select one of the more expensive options.

There is a lot of good information at the West Contra Costa Integrated Waste Management Authority website (www.recyclemore.org), about how to dispose of almost anything in West County safely and legally. If you can’t find it there, give them a call at 510/215-3125.

The location and contact information for Sims/Hugo New is:

Sims|Hugo Neu Corporation– West Coast Corporate Office
600 S. 4th Street, Richmond, CA, 94804
Operation Type: Head Office
Tel: +1-510-412-5300
Fax: +1-510-412-5421
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