Familiarity breeds trust, but that doesn’t mean that something you’re around a lot is completely safe. Your fridge is a good example. You may think that just because it hasn’t harmed you it will not harm the environment if you dump it somewhere. This is not true. Your fridge is full of many dangerous chemicals. You will find some examples of these below.
Refrigerants
Refrigerants are chemicals that are used to remove heat from an appliance through a process that involves them changing from a liquid to a gas and then back again. Examples of these include chlorofluorocarbons and hydrofluorocarbons. These chemicals are extremely useful and are unlikely to hurt you or any of the occupants of your home while a fridge is inside your home. However, when they are released from a fridge due to the fridge degrading or other issues, these chemicals are shown to cause serious damage to the ozone layer.
Oils
Most machines need oil to function properly and your fridge is no exception. The typical fridge holds about 2 to 8 ounces of oil, which, even though it is a small amount, can still cause environmental damage. It can stop plants from photosynthesizing, poison animals, and cause explosions and fires. Professionals who recycle fridges are able to safely remove the oil. This is a good reason why you should search for refrigerator recycling sussex county nj when you have an old refrigerator that you want to get rid of.
In general, it pays to be at least a bit cautious about the kind of things that you are putting in your environment and your body and looking up what these things might contain. While you probably shouldn’t ruin your life by being overly cautious, a little bit of caution can make you and your environment that much safer.
