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Dear Dot,
My father recently passed away, and we’re clearing out his house. There’s a chest freezer in the basement that’s old but still works. I’ve been wanting one, so should I move my dad’s to my house? Or is it better to buy a newer, more energy-efficient one?
– Cathy
The Short Answer: Dot typically advises reuse as our eco-friendly default, but energy-hungry old appliances are an exception — replacing them with efficient modern ones can be the better climate choice. For a freezer older than a decade, recycle it responsibly through local municipal, utility, or scrap programs, and replace it with an Energy Star-certified model (new or relatively new used). If you don't actually need a freezer, going without is the greenest option of all.
Dear Cathy,
The fact that you addressed this question to Dot, Doyenne of Eco-Advice, tells me that your main concern is the environmental impact of old vs. new.
But first, a story: When Mr. Dot and I bought our home in 2002, the owners asked if we wanted the chest freezer that was in the basement. As empty-nesters, they no longer had need of it. What’s more, they couldn’t recall how it got there and were baffled as to how they might move it out.
As a pregnant mom of two toddlers, I didn’t want to look a gift workhorse in the mouth, so I agreed to take the house with the freezer intact. It wasn’t until I started writing about climate issues a few years later that I questioned the energy consumption of this basement behemoth. At which point, I found an elegant solution. The farmer from whom we got our produce and meat needed freezer space to hold her butchered animals. She had solar panels that produced plenty of energy and so wasn’t concerned about how energy-hungry the freezer was. Her hefty farmhands managed to extract the thing and take it to the farm. At which point, my husband and I purchased a far more energy-efficient freezer that we situated much closer to our kitchen.
A perfect solution for all!
While Dot typically hews toward re-use, that rule doesn’t necessarily hold when it comes to energy-hungry appliances or vehicles. Of course, there’s an environmental cost to disposing of items, especially large ones, but climate math isn’t always straightforward, and some issues (carbon emissions) trump others (items languishing in landfills).
So let’s break this down, shall we, Cathy?
We’ll start with a simple question (and please know that Dot is casting no shade or shame with this question): Do you need a freezer? If the answer is, well, not really, then making do without is the most eco-friendly (and, incidentally, economical) option. Problem solved. Well, except for the errant freezer you must now re-home or dispose of. Whether or not you need a freezer, if your dad’s freezer is more than a decade old, it’s best to dispose of it. Energy Star urges you to recycle it, noting that “refrigerators and freezers contain refrigerants, oils, and other compounds that, by federal law, must be removed and recovered. Then the steel, other metals, and selected parts can be recycled. Some recycling programs also capture the foam insulation inside the refrigerator doors for added environmental benefits.” In the U.S., the EPA’s Responsible Appliance Disposal program (RAD) seems to be defunct, but that doesn’t mean that municipal or state governments, local utilities, or scrap recyclers aren’t still doing the work. See what’s available in your community. Similarly, in Canada, it appears that your best course of action is to check out resources in your municipality — most offer a disposal option.
If, in fact, you do need a freezer and you’ve gotten rid of your father’s old one, you should look into buying an energy-efficient model. Energy Star’s Flip Your Fridge calculator can help you determine exactly how much energy you’ll be saving.
Energy Star, a program started in 1992, continues to be your best guide to energy-efficient appliances for your home, both in the U.S. and Canada.
Once you’ve got your new freezer (or a new-to-you freezer — which is to say that purchasing a relatively new-but-used freezer is a great option), Dot hopes that in the future, you’ll opt for repair over disposal should anything go wrong. YouTube is a mecca for DIY repairs. Or your friendly neighborhood repairperson would likely be grateful for the job. With the noted exception of older appliances and vehicles, keeping our items in circulation is a climate-friendly choice.
Efficiently,
Dot
