Over the past 10 years I've recycled all of my large appliances. My (texas) city comes and picks them up at no charge, and I don't feel that's an unusual situation.
A pile of plastic is mostly just a liability, with a strong likelihood of it ultimately being dumped or landfilled somewhere in the world.
But metal recycling is real. Unlike plastic and glass, metal has positive value. There is an entire profitable industry that exists to recycle metal -- including appliances. We've been recycling metals for as long as we have mined their ores from the Earth.
A pile of washing machines is an asset. It has real value. It doesn't get landfilled or dumped -- it gets sold.
Plus, appliances with refrigerants need special handling to prevent the release of the refrigerants to the atmosphere -- better to have one organization handling that than leaving citizens to their own devices.
That IS pretty unusual, and in a positive way.
I live in one of EU's richest socialist countries (Austria) and here YOU have bare the cost of transporting your old fridge or washing machine to the city's recycling depot, which is a huge expense for your average joe as that means owning or renting a car plus renting a trailer plus having a gym-bro with a strong back and equipment to lift the damn thing from your place and carry it downstairs (many older buildings don't have elevators). And once you get to the recycling center on your own dime, you have to pay 6 Euros on top if you're a resident of the city, or 33 Euros if not.
Your only "free" workaround is buying a new fridge or washing machine from a retailer who also has a promo on picking up your old one for free with the delivery of the replacement.
So many people just dump them in the basement of the apartment building or on the side of the road. #environment #green But hey, at least we've banned nuclear energy in the constitution because it's bad for the environment.
Isn't it ironic where one of US's most conservative states with low taxes, does things better than one of EU's most socialist "green" states where taxes are through the roof?
I think it's similar in other EU countries like the Netherlands.
I talked to an elderly man digging in my father's trash for metal recently. He's not doing it because he's poor but because he's retired and bored and gets cash for the scrap that doesn't affect his social security income.
He recycles everything with metal in it. Even pulling out individual wires when he has time. He says he gets paid more if he dismantles the appliance versus turning it in whole.
That's not allowed in Europe if you just dump your e-waste in front of the building with a "free sign" on it. You get fiend for littering and the garbage company that picks it up fines the building where you live and it goes into your rent costs.
Do all shops offer this in NL?
The same vehicle and trailer and gym-bro that is bringing the new machine can then be used to haul away the old one.
That's how it typically works in the US. The appliance dealer offers delivery and for an extra charge will haul away the old unit.