How to get rid of a refrigerator in Cincinnati

The short answer

Inside the City of Cincinnati, refrigerators and freezers are on the bulk program's accepted list, collected from the curb by appointment. In Newport and Rumpke areas, and in Lawrenceburg, a fridge needs its refrigerant removed by a certified technician and a sticker or tag attached before curbside pickup. JunkRabbit takes a standard fridge for $164 from wherever it sits, with no sticker for you to arrange.

Inside the City: the bulk appointment

The City of Cincinnati collects refrigerators and freezers through its appointment-only bulk program, along with stoves, washers, dryers and water heaters. Book online or through 311. The appointment covers up to five items, which must be at the curb the night before, where the claw truck can reach them. That last part is the problem with a fridge. A full-size refrigerator weighs a lot and is awkward to move, and it has to travel from the kitchen to the curb on a hand truck. In a city of hillside lots and front steps, that can mean bumping it down a long staircase to the sidewalk. Tape the doors shut before moving it, and remove the doors entirely if the fridge will sit outside, as a basic safety step. Empty it, unplug it a day early and let it drain and dry so it does not leak in the hallway.

Newport and Rumpke areas: the Freon sticker

In Newport, appliances that contain Freon need the refrigerant removed by a certified technician, with a sticker attached, before Rumpke will collect them. Rumpke's residential bulk rules say the same thing more broadly: Freon appliances are collected only with a certified refrigerant statement affixed. Bulky items are arranged by calling Rumpke at least 24 hours before your trash day. In practice, that means finding and paying an appliance technician to come out, recover the refrigerant and tag the unit, before you can put it out. For a working fridge being replaced, it is a lot of steps for one appliance. Check your own city's rules if you are in Covington, Fort Thomas or the Boone County cities; we have not confirmed their requirements.

Lawrenceburg and southeast Indiana

Lawrenceburg's City Garage collects items too big for the toter for free on Mondays and Fridays, by calling the garage, and same-day requests need to come in before 10 a.m. Freon items, which includes refrigerators and freezers, must be tagged by a company confirming the refrigerant has been removed. The City Garage is no longer a public dump, so you cannot drop a fridge off there. If you live in Aurora, Greendale or elsewhere in Dearborn County, ask your own trash provider about appliance rules before setting one out.

Other options: retailers, scrap and resale

If you are buying a new fridge, ask the store whether delivery includes haul-away of the old one and what it costs. Make sure the old unit is empty, unplugged and accessible on delivery day, because delivery crews often will not move furniture to reach it. A fridge that still works and looks decent can sell or go free to a neighbor, especially to landlords or students setting up apartments. Scrap metal buyers may take appliances, but refrigerators have refrigerant rules, so ask what they need before you load one. Do not cut refrigerant lines yourself to get around a rule. Venting refrigerant is the thing every one of these rules exists to prevent.

Flat prices for a pickup

The crew carries it out from the kitchen, garage or basement, up or down any number of stairs, with no stairs fee. Refrigerant handling is our problem, not yours. A kitchen fridge and a basement chest freezer come to $164 + $146 = $310.

The basement fridge problem

Cincinnati has a lot of second refrigerators. Early-1900s houses in Westwood, Price Hill, Northside and Norwood often have a basement with an old fridge or chest freezer that came down the stairs decades ago. Getting it back up is a different job. Basement stairs in these homes are often steep, narrow and turn at the top, and an old fridge may be heavier and boxier than a modern one. Chest freezers in particular are wide and do not tip well. This is exactly the job that is hard to do yourself and impossible for a curbside claw truck. It is also included in the flat price: an upright freezer from a basement is $149, the same as from a garage.

Prep checklist before pickup

Whichever route you choose, do the same few things first. Empty the fridge completely and throw out the food. Unplug it at least a day ahead so the freezer can defrost. Put a towel down to catch water, and prop the doors slightly open to let it dry. Disconnect and cap the water line if the fridge has an ice maker, or have a plumber do it. Measure doorways if it is in an odd spot. Clear a path from the fridge to the door. If you are using a pickup, a photo of the fridge and where it sits is enough for a quote online. Same-day pickup is available when you book by 4 PM, with a two-hour arrival window.

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