The “Coolest” Recycling Drive
May 6 @ 9:00 am - 1:00 pm
This program is affiliated with NYers for Cool Refrigerant Management. Free drop off and recycling of refrigerant containing appliances on various dates at the Town of New Paltz Reuse & Recycling Center:
- Tuesday, May 6th 2025 from 9:00am – 1:00pm
- Tuesday, May 20th 2025 from 12:00pm – 4:00pm
- Saturday, May 24th 2025 from 9:00am – 1:00pm
Event Summary:
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. Between May 6th and May 24th, 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. The primary drop off and short term storage site for appliances will be the Town of New Paltz ReUse and Recycling Center (open to all), as well as an option for City of Kingston residents to drop off at the Kingston Earth Fair on 5/10 at TR Gallo Park in Kingston.
At the end of the recycling drive the refrigerant chemicals will be safely extracted and recycled by local company Hudson Technologies. This program covers items such as refrigerators, window air conditioners, dehumidifiers, water coolers, freezers and mini fridges, also accepting canisters of refrigerants.
Why Safe Disposal Matters:
The program 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. 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.