Time to switch off Derek's life support

Derek

I mentioned in my last podcast that I'm trying to figure out what to do with my old fridge ('Derek'). I want to dispose of him in an environmentally-friendly way, and I thought I would share the fruits of my research.

The first thing I discovered is that age matters. Fridges made before 2000 almost certainly contain harmful CFCs or HCFCs (freon in the US) which are both ozone-depleting and many thousands of times more potent that carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas.

Fridges more than 20 years old also use between two and four times more electricity than modern ones, according to the EPA.

But the good news is that more than 90% of a fridge is recyclable. That all leads me to two conclusions:

1. It is time to flick the switch on Derek's life support. There is no point prolonging his life when he probably uses more energy living than dead. 
2. Derek will have to be disposed of professionally. Just landfilling him or flytipping (kidding), can result in CFCs leaking and a number of other hazardous materials such as mercury contaminating the earth and ground water.