Event Summary:

Between May 1 and May 18th, residents of Ulster County and neighboring counties will have multiple opportunities to drop off their old refrigerant containing devices free of charge, to be properly disposed of and recycled. There will be a primary drop off and short term storage site for appliances at the New Paltz ReUse and Recycling Center, as well as an option to drop off at the Kingston Earth Fair on 5/11 at TR Gallo Park in Kingston (Rain Location: Hutton Brickyards).

At the end of the recycling drive the refrigerant chemicals will be safely extracted and recycled by local company Hudson Technologies, and organizers invite people to join them to witness part of the Refrigerant extraction, along with a presentation from New Yorkers for Cool Refrigerant Management on why this recycling effort is so important. The metal will be sold as scrap by the New Paltz ReUse and Recycling Center, who will keep the profits from the sale.

The Ulster County Coolest Recycling Drive is organized by Sustainable Hudson Valley and New Yorkers for Cool Refrigerant Management, with additional support and in-kind donations from the New Paltz ReUse and Recycling Center, Hudson Technologies, Climate Smart Kingston, and New Yorkers for Clean Power.

The chemicals used as refrigerants are engineered and industrially produced to be able to transfer heat when trapped in a pressurized system. When these chemicals are released into the atmosphere, they become greenhouse gasses that are thousands of times more powerful than carbon dioxide. A single air conditioner can hold up to 2 pounds of R410A, which when released into the atmosphere, over the next 20 years will act like almost 10,000 pounds of carbon dioxide – almost as much emissions as driving an average car for a full year.

To highlight these most potent and least understood greenhouse gasses, Sustainable Hudson Valley will be collecting appliances that use refrigerants free of charge and covering all expenses for them to be properly recycled. This service is available to everyone in Ulster County and the surrounding counties, and covers items such as refrigerators, window air conditioners, dehumidifiers, water coolers, freezers and mini fridges. We will also accept canisters of refrigerants. Our goal is to help properly recycle refrigerant-containing appliances and call attention to the need for next-generation policies to cover costs of proper refrigerant reclamation, training of technicians and proper disposal of refrigerants.

Can’t make it to the event(s) but want to learn more about the safe disposal of air conditioners, refrigerators, and other refrigerant containing devices? Check out our new FLYER – Safe Disposal of Freon Appliances 2024