There’s nothing that makes a home feel brand new like a new kitchen. If it’s time for an update (or an upgrade) to your living space, chances are that a new kitchen with beautiful, high-tech major appliances and glistening countertops is the change you’ve been looking for.
One thing to consider when upgrading your home or kitchen is appliance recycling. You can’t haul your old major appliances to the curb and expect them to be picked up with the garbage, so what do you do with them? Appliances can’t go to many local municipal garbage centres, and they can be difficult to remove from your home on your own. Plus, many appliances contain components that can’t be safely disposed of at the local dump, so they need to be disposed of carefully.
How to reuse and recycle your old appliances
With a bit of extra forethought, appliance recycling and reuse is easy.
If it’s time for your old appliances to be retired, Best Buy can help you remove them when your new ones are delivered. This is a service that needs to be booked through Best Buy’s Appliance Delivery Specialists, who are discussed in this post, but it’s now easy to do online at checkout. You have the option to request Haul Away & Recycle services when purchasing a major appliance, and you can add or remove those services through the concierge team if you change your mind after checkout.
Another great option for your home renovation waste is to look into local charities. If you have something like an old appliance that’s still in good working condition, making sure it’s reused reduces the total carbon footprint of your renovation. Old appliances can be sold or given away online, and can often be donated to organizations like Habitat for Humanity. These donated items are sometimes sold for a small profit to help fund the charity, or may be given to a family in need who can’t afford to replace an essential broken appliance.
A combination of appliance recycling, reselling, and donating is the ideal option for many homeowners. You don’t need to send every appliance to the same destination, and curating which one will end up where is a hassle-free way to do good while creating your dream home.
What types of delivery does Best Buy offer?
When you book your appliance delivery with Best Buy, you can choose from different delivery options at different price points. If Haul Away & Recycle services are available for your appliance in your delivery area, you’ll be able to select them in your cart before continuing to checkout.
In-home delivery
In-home delivery and appliance removal are offered for most major appliances in non-remote locations. As long as your home meets health and safety standards and lies within a Best Buy delivery radius, delivery agents will be able to deliver your new appliance and haul away any items that you’ve arranged Haul Away & Recycle services for.
Doorstep delivery
If you’ve scheduled in-home delivery but your delivery agent is unable to deliver or take away appliances in your home for safety reasons, your item will still be delivered to your front door, porch, or garage. In condo buildings and apartments, your new appliance will be delivered to the front door of your building.
Curbside delivery
In remote areas, appliance delivery and removal is offered at the curbside when available.
Your appliance recycling checklist
When booking your appliance delivery and recycling service, book everything ahead and provide all of the relevant details. Your delivery specialists will need to ensure that their truck has enough space for your old ones, and not all appliances are the same size. So, if (for instance) you’re downsizing a large chest freezer for a smaller, more energy efficient one, they might not be able to accommodate it if you haven’t booked ahead!
When it comes time to change out your appliances, your old appliances need to be disconnected, fully emptied, and made safe to transport. In other words, make sure they’re unplugged, empty, and free of infestation.
What’s included in Best Buy’s appliance recycling servicesÂ
- Removal of your old appliance
- Transportation to appropriate recycling facility
- Any applicable recycling costs
- Safe disposal of dangerous/toxic materials contained in old appliances
Why recycle your old appliance?
As I alluded to earlier in this post, recycling is an important part of your appliance’s life cycle.
Materials like the metal of your stove or chest freezer are recyclable, but that needs to be diverted before it reaches the local dump. Leaving an old appliance at the dump (where accepted) means that materials like metal and glass, which are finite resources, won’t be able to live out their full potential. However, at the right recycling facility, those same materials can be revitalized and given new life as something else.
Other materials, like the liquid coolants in your refrigerator or freezer, need to be processed carefully. These materials are hazardous to people and the environment when released into the air or groundwater. Disposing of them correctly is essential to help keep sanitation workers safe and protect local water and wildlife.
How Best Buy recycles old appliances
Best Buy contracts partners to complete the appliance recycling process. Those partners are required to adhere to the safe and responsible disposal practices reflective of both your local environmental laws and regulations and Best Buy’s own recycling standards. That means that your old appliances will be disposed of in the most responsible way possible and it’s easier than ever to set up their recycling.
If you’re about to start (or finish) a home renovation, Best Buy has a wealth of knowledge at your fingertips. Check out our guides on shopping for your appliance, what appliance delivery specialists can do for you, and find out more about the delivery and installation of your appliances.
​For more resources on major appliances, check out Best Buy Canada’s up-to-date major appliance help hub.
