How Is A Fridge Recycled?

How Is A Fridge Recycled? 1. Preparation Firstly, the fridges and freezers are emptied of any food, liquids, trays and shelves contained within. The unit is now clean of any contaminates and is able to be processed. 2. Degassing A fridge/freezer contains ozone depleting substances, such as CFC's which must be removed at the beginning of the recycling process. These are extracted via the fridge compressor, where the oil and coolant are separated. The oil is reusable as a product but the coolant is destroyed separately. The compressors, now drained, are removed and recycled as a material. 3. Shredding and Fraction Segregation An industrial shredder takes the fridge from a whole unit down to small manageable pieces. The metal and plastic separate from the insulation foam ensuring the materials can then be segregated effectively. 4. Sieving To remove the Polyurethane (PUR) foam, the materials are finely sieved. The foam is then heated to release blowing agent gases, which are frozen and liquefied for treatment. The remaining PUR foam is sent to a specialist recycling company that take the foam, turn it into a fine powder and reuse this to create new foam. 5. Magentic Separation The shredded materials pass under a magnet which removes ferrous metal which is then reused in the manufacturing chain. 6. Eddy Current Separation/Air Separator The remaining materials are passed through an eddy current separator and air separator which segregates plastic from non-ferrous metals. With the materials separated they hold a higher value and can be reused easily. This fridge recycling process allows for maximum recovery rates whilst maintaining best recycling practice in the UK. pure planet recycling