NJ utility customers can turn their working appliances into cash

🔵 Get some cash by recycling working appliances

🔵 JCP&L customers can receive $100 for a recycled fridge or freezer

🔵 They can also receive $50 for a recycled dehumidifier or air conditioner

If you need some extra cash and you’re a JCP&L customer, consider taking part in the utility company’s appliance recycling program.

The Appliance Recycling Program

With this program, customers can earn up to $100 by recycling a working refrigerator or freezer. You can also earn an extra $50 for either a working dehumidifier or a room air conditioner, JCP&L Spokesman Chris Hoenig said.

There is a limit to how many of these units one can recycle in a calendar year. Hoenig said customers can recycle up to two refrigerators or freezers, and up to three air conditioners or dehumidifiers per customer.

So, if you have five appliances to recycle within the year, a customer can potentially earn up to $350.

This is not an appliance replacement program, Hoenig said. So, once the appliance is taken away to be recycled, the customer is responsible for replacing the appliance in their home.

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Requirements

• To take part in the appliance recycling program, you must be a JCP&L customer.
• You must own the appliance.
• The appliance must be in working condition.
• For a refrigerator or freezer, anything from 10 to 30 cubic feet is eligible.
• The appliance must be plugged in at the time of pickup to prove it works.
• Visit the JCP&L website or call 888-314-8141 to schedule a pickup.
• The customer will receive a check in the mail approximately 6 weeks later

The importance of recycling these appliances

Many components of these older appliances could be harmful if they are thrown into a landfill.

“This allows us to make sure that, environmentally, they are being disassembled and recycled in an environmentally and responsible way,” Hoenig said.

Another perk is that it gives a customer a little bit of extra cash to put into an Energy Star Certified appliance, he added.

With an Energy Star Certified appliance, customers will save a lot more than they will with an appliance that meets only minimum standards.

“An Energy Star Certified freezer is about 10% more efficient than the minimum standards. Close to that for refrigerators. They’re about 9% more energy efficient. They last longer. So, they’re going to save you on your energy bills in the long run. They’re going to last longer, and you get the extra cash in your pocket,” Hoenig said.

Who can benefit from this JCP&L program?

Last year, JCP&L recycled nearly 5,500 appliances through this program. About 3,900 of them were refrigerators, so this is a popular program, Hoenig said.

JCP&L serves more than 1.1 million people in New Jersey in Monmouth, Ocean, and parts of Middlesex, Mercer, Burlington, Morris, Sussex, Hunterdon, Warren, and Somerset counties.

“This is a great opportunity for our customers to be able to save on their energy bills, get extra cash in their pocket and again, it’s something you can do that you don’t have to put a lot of effort into to be able to help out the environment by keeping some of these components of older refrigerators, freezers, and air conditioners, out of landfills,” he said.

What if you don't have JCP&L?

PSE&G and Atlantic City Electric in New Jersey offer similar appliance recycling programs. Rebates at both include $100 for each fridge and freezer and $35 for dehumidifiers or room air conditioners.

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