Don’t Let Old Refrigerators “Lie Idle”: Dismantling Recyclables to Unlock New Value in Circular Utilization-Industry News-Jiangxi Mingxin Metallurgical Equipment Co., Ltd.According to relevant data, refrigerators account for approximately 20% of the waste home appliances generated annually in China. These seemingly “scrapped” refrigerators, if not properly handled, not only occupy a large amount of land resources but also pose environmental risks—refrigerants and insulation materials inside may leak, causing ozone layer damage, soil pollution, and other issues. In fact, an old refrigerator is like a “small urban mine”: after professional dismantling, it can be separated into various high-value recyclables such as metals, plastics, and glass, which can re-release dual economic and environmental benefits in the circular utilization chain.
I. Dismantling Old Refrigerators: Recyclables with “Hidden Value”
Recyclables make up over 80% of the materials in a household refrigerator. Through professional equipment dismantling, three core types of recyclable resources can be accurately separated:
- Metals: Including steel, iron, copper, aluminum, etc., which are widely used in refrigerator casings, liners, compressors, and pipelines.
- Plastics: Such as polystyrene (PS) and polypropylene (PP), commonly found in door liners, drawers, and packaging materials.
- Glass: Mainly from glass shelves in the refrigerating compartment and transparent glass on door panels.
These materials are not “waste” but high-quality resources that can be “transformed into treasures” through recycling processes.
II. Metals: From Refrigerator Components to Recycled “Industrial Grain”
Metals are the most valuable recyclables in old refrigerators, especially non-ferrous metals like copper and aluminum. Their recycling rate is nearly 100%, and the energy consumption for recycling is far lower than that for primary metal smelting.
- Steel and Iron: The casings and liners of refrigerators are mostly made of cold-rolled steel plates, while compressor housings and evaporator pipelines contain a large amount of cast iron. After magnetic separation, these scrap steel and iron are sent to steel mills for re-smelting, and can be made into new appliance casings, auto parts, or construction steel. Data shows that each ton of scrap steel saves 1.7 tons of iron ore, 0.5 tons of coke, and reduces 1.2 tons of carbon dioxide emissions—this not only reduces reliance on mineral resources but also mitigates industrial pollution.
- Copper and Aluminum: Compressor windings and wires in refrigerators are mostly pure copper, and heat dissipation pipes often use aluminum alloys. After purification, scrap copper can reach a purity of over 99%, which can be directly used to manufacture wires, cables, and motor windings, with recycling energy consumption accounting for only 10% of that for primary copper production. After smelting and rolling, scrap aluminum can be made into new aluminum profiles for appliance heat sinks, door and window frames, etc. The recycling process saves 95% of energy and significantly reduces production costs.
III. Plastics: “Flexible Resources” to Address “White Pollution”
Most plastics in refrigerators are thermoplastics, which have good recyclability and serve as a key breakthrough in solving “white pollution.”
Polystyrene (PS), commonly used in refrigerator door liners and storage drawers, can be made into plastic pipes, toy casings, or packaging pallets after crushing, cleaning, and pelletization. Polyethylene (PE) used in door gaskets and packaging films can be recycled to produce agricultural films and garbage bags. Meanwhile, parts made of polypropylene (PP) can be recycled into auto interior parts and appliance bases. It is estimated that recycling 1 ton of waste plastic saves approximately 7.4 barrels of crude oil and reduces 6 tons of carbon dioxide emissions—this means that recycling plastic components from 100,000 old refrigerators can save nearly 1,000 barrels of crude oil, equivalent to reducing the demand for mining in a small oil field.
IV. Glass: “Transparent Wealth” in Endless Circulation
Although glass shelves and door glass in refrigerators account for a small proportion, their recycling value should not be overlooked. This type of glass is silicate glass, which has stable components and can be recycled infinitely.
After recycling, waste glass is crushed into “glass cullet”; after impurity removal, it is mixed with a small amount of primary raw materials, then re-melted and shaped into flat glass, glass bottles, or new appliance glass accessories. Compared with producing primary glass, using 1 ton of recycled glass saves 30% of energy, reduces 20% of air pollutants (such as sulfur dioxide) emissions, and decreases the consumption of non-renewable minerals like quartz sand and soda ash. For glass enterprises, adding waste glass also lowers the melting temperature and extends the service life of kilns, further reducing total production costs.
V. Beyond Material Recycling: The In-depth Value of Old Refrigerator Recycling
The utilization of recyclables from old refrigerators goes beyond simple “material-to-material” circulation—it also carries three in-depth values: environmental, industrial, and social.
- Environmental Value: Proper recycling prevents refrigerants (e.g., Freon) from leaking and damaging the ozone layer, and avoids soil pollution caused by random landfilling of insulation materials (e.g., polyurethane foam).
- Industrial Value: The industrial chain of “recycling—dismantling—recycling—remanufacturing” has driven the development of a number of professional dismantling enterprises and renewable resource factories, creating a large number of technical and operational jobs.
- Social Value: This process aligns with the “dual carbon goals”—by recycling resources, it reduces carbon emissions from the extraction and processing of primary resources. In 2023, carbon emission reductions in China’s waste home appliance recycling sector exceeded 5 million tons, with refrigerator recycling contributing nearly a quarter of this figure.
The “rebirth” of an old refrigerator is a vivid example of the circular economy. The utilization value of its recyclables is reflected not only in the economic benefits of each ton of metal or each kilogram of plastic but also in the reduced pollution, saved energy, and protected ecology. In the future, with the improvement of recycling systems and the upgrading of dismantling technologies, old refrigerators will no longer be a “garbage burden” but will become an important resource for promoting green development and building a sustainable future.