Denver
Appliance Recycling in
Denver
That dead fridge in the garage — hauled and recycled the right way at a flat photo-quoted price from $164, with EPA-certified freon recovery built in. Refrigerators, freezers, and AC units are excluded from Denver's Large Item Pickup entirely — the city won't touch them — so a fridge is one thing you genuinely can't self-solve. We carry it out, recover the refrigerant, and divert the metal. No Colorado sales tax on the service.
How appliance recycling works in Denver
1 · Send a photo
Snap the fridge, washer, or water heater. Exact flat price back in seconds — no walkthrough, no "call for a quote."
2 · Pick a time
Same-day is usually open across Denver and the Front Range. We disconnect and pull it from the kitchen, basement, or garage.
3 · Recovered & recycled
Refrigerant appliances go to certified freon recovery; steel, copper, and aluminum are scrapped. Nothing is vented or dumped.
How much does appliance recycling cost in Denver?
Flat and photo-quoted — the carry-out, the freon recovery where it's needed, the recycling, and the drive are all in the number.
| Appliance | Flat price |
|---|---|
| Refrigerator | $164 |
| Refrigerator (large / French-door) | $183 |
| Mini-fridge | $115 |
| Chest freezer | $146 |
| Upright freezer | $149 |
| Washer | $133 |
| Dryer | $128 |
| Washer / dryer (combo unit) | $189 |
| Dishwasher | $109 |
| Gas range / oven | $137 |
| Tank water heater | $131 |
| Window AC (small / large) | $87 / $109 |
$75 minimum. Clearing a whole kitchen or laundry room? Send one photo and we price the fridge, range, and dishwasher together. No Colorado sales tax on the service.
For context, Denver's average junk-removal job runs about $219–$230 and single items $60–$99 according to local cost surveys — appliances sit above the single-item range because of the weight, the disconnect, and the certified refrigerant handling, all of which are already in our flat number.
5 ways to get rid of an old appliance in Denver
| Option | Cost | Speed | Catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denver Large Item Pickup | Free | — | Appliances are excluded entirely — the city won't take a fridge, freezer, or AC at all |
| Scrap-metal yard | Free–small payout | Hours | You load a 300-lb appliance, drive it, and freon appliances often get refused without proof of recovery |
| Retailer haul-away | Often a fee | Only on delivery day | Only if you're buying a replacement, only that appliance, timed to their delivery |
| Traditional full-service hauler | ~$150–$400+ | 1–3 days | Priced by truck volume, often confirmed only on site |
| JunkRabbit | $164 flat (fridge) | Same day | None — flat photo price, freon recovered, we carry it out |
Does Denver pick up appliances?
No — and this is the part most people don't find out until the truck skips their fridge. The City & County of Denver's free Large Item Pickup program (Denver 311 · 720-913-1311) excludes refrigerant appliances entirely. Refrigerators, freezers, and air conditioners contain freon, and federal EPA rules require certified recovery of that refrigerant before the appliance can be scrapped — venting it is illegal because it's a potent greenhouse gas. Because the city isn't set up to recover refrigerant, it simply won't collect these units, period, even from homes that are on the curbside route. That leaves a genuine gap: a fridge is one of the few things a Denver resident truly cannot hand to the city or leave at the curb. A licensed hauler that recovers the freon and recycles the metal is the actual answer — that's us. We handle the recovery, document it, and divert the steel and copper.
The Colorado e-waste angle for combo loads
Appliance clear-outs rarely come alone — the fridge leaves with an old TV, a microwave, or a dead computer from the same garage. That matters here because Colorado bans electronics from landfills under SB12-133 (in force since July 2013): TVs, monitors, computers, laptops, and printers are illegal to dump and must be recycled, and they're also excluded from Denver Large Item Pickup. So a combined kitchen-and-garage load can involve two different diversion rules at once — refrigerant recovery for the fridge, e-cycling for the electronics. We sort them correctly in a single flat-priced trip, so you're not making separate runs to a scrap yard and an e-waste drop-off.
What we take & recycle
- Refrigerant appliances — refrigerators, French-door and large fridges, mini-fridges, chest and upright freezers, window and portable AC, wine coolers (freon recovered).
- Laundry — washers, dryers, and stacked/combo pairs.
- Kitchen — dishwashers, gas and electric ranges, cooktops, range hoods, microwaves, garbage disposals.
- Water heaters — tank and tankless, disconnected and carried out of the basement or closet.
- The whole load — appliances plus e-waste and scrap, sorted and diverted in one stop.
What happens to your appliance after pickup
An old appliance is mostly recyclable metal, so almost none of it should reach a landfill. On any refrigerant unit we route the freon to EPA-certified recovery first — captured, not vented — and then the steel, copper, and aluminum are sent to scrap. Washers, dryers, dishwashers, and water heaters are scrap-metal diverted the same way. Electronics riding along in the load go to an e-cycler, satisfying Colorado's landfill ban. Every load rides tarped, which on the Front Range also keeps the tip fee from doubling for an uncovered truck. It's all inside your flat price, and it aligns with Denver's own push toward waste diversion.
Basements, garages, and the carry-out
Denver appliances hide in hard places — a chest freezer in a Wash Park basement, a second fridge in a Central Park attached garage, a water heater in a utility closet, a washer-dryer up a flight in a Cap Hill walk-up. We disconnect and carry each one out ourselves, up or down the stairs, with no surcharge for the flights (Denver's flat, so it's just stairs). Heavier units that don't roll get walked out on a dolly with the floors protected. You never wrestle a 300-pound appliance to the curb the way the excluded city program would otherwise require — that carry-out is the whole point.
When people call us for appliance recycling
- New appliance arriving — the old fridge or washer out before the delivery truck comes.
- The garage second fridge — the beer fridge that finally died, freon and all.
- Kitchen or basement remodel — the range, dishwasher, and water heater cleared for the crew.
- Move-out or estate — a whole house of appliances handled discreetly, donation-routed where they still work.
- Landlord turnover — flipping a unit's appliances between tenants on a schedule.
Why Denver chooses JunkRabbit for appliances
- Freon done right — EPA-certified refrigerant recovery, documented, never vented.
- Flat price from a photo — you know the number before we arrive; no on-site upsell.
- We do the lifting — disconnected and carried out of any kitchen, basement, or garage.
- Licensed & diversion-first — a licensed, insured Denver hauler; scrap and e-waste diverted, loads tarped.
What Denver appliance customers say
"Found out the hard way the city won't take a fridge. These guys did — recovered the freon, gave me the flat price from a photo, and pulled it out of the garage same day."
"Old washer and dryer down in the basement, plus a dead TV. One flat price, they carried it all up the stairs and split the appliances from the electronics for recycling. Easy."
"Remodeling the kitchen, needed the range, dishwasher, and water heater gone before the plumber. Photo quote, no tax line, done in one trip. Fair and fast."
Appliance recycling questions, answered
How much does it cost in Denver?
Flat, photo-quoted: fridge $164, large fridge $183, freezer $146–$149, washer $133, dryer $128, combo $189, dishwasher $109, water heater $131, window AC $87–$109. $75 minimum, no Colorado sales tax.
Will the city take my fridge?
No — refrigerators, freezers, and AC are excluded from Denver Large Item Pickup entirely because they need certified freon recovery. That's exactly why you need a hauler.
Do you recover the freon?
Yes — EPA-certified recovery on every refrigerant appliance, then the metal is scrapped. Nothing is vented or landfilled.
Do you carry it out or do I?
We do. We disconnect and lift it from the kitchen, basement, or garage, down the stairs if needed. You lift nothing.
Appliance recycling across Denver
Frequently asked questions
Will the City of Denver take my old refrigerator?
No. Refrigerant appliances — refrigerators, freezers, and air conditioners — are excluded from Denver's free Large Item Pickup entirely, because they require EPA-certified freon recovery before disposal. The city simply won't collect them, which is why residents genuinely need a licensed hauler for a fridge. We recover the refrigerant properly and recycle the metal.
What is freon recovery and why does it matter?
Refrigerators, freezers, and AC units contain refrigerant (freon) that's a potent greenhouse gas and illegal to vent to the air. Federal EPA rules require it to be recovered by a certified technician before the appliance is scrapped. We route refrigerant appliances so the freon is captured correctly and the steel, aluminum, and copper are recycled — not landfilled and not vented.
Do you take electronics and appliances in the same trip?
Yes. Clearing a kitchen or a garage often means a fridge plus an old TV or a microwave, and Colorado bans electronics from landfills (SB12-133, 2013), so those need recycling too. We take the appliances and the e-waste together in one flat-priced stop and divert each to the right stream.
Do you carry the appliance out, or does it have to be at the curb?
We carry it out. Our crew disconnects and lifts the fridge, washer, or water heater from the kitchen, laundry room, basement, or garage — down the stairs if needed — and hauls it. You don't drag a 300-pound appliance anywhere, which is the whole difference from a curbside program.
Is recycling my washer and dryer cheaper than a franchise?
Our price is flat and quoted from a photo before we arrive — washer $133, dryer $128, or the combo $189. Traditional full-service haulers price by truck volume and often only confirm on site, which for a couple of appliances can run higher and less predictably. Our number is up front and includes the carry-out, freon recovery where needed, and recycling.
Ready to Get It Gone?
Send a photo and get one flat price back in seconds — carry-out, hauling and disposal are all in it.
Upload Photos & Get Your QuotePrefer texting? 💬 Text (720) 953-5865 — send a photo, get the price.