White Goods
The term “white goods” was coined by Sears and Roebuck in their early catalogs and referred to household appliances that had a white porcelain enamel exterior. The term is still used and covers the items in the list below.
- Clothes washers and dryers
- Commercial refrigeration equipment and fry cookers
- Dishwashers and sanitizers
- Drinking water coolers
- Hot food bars (steam tables)
- Household trash compactors
- Ovens, ranges, stoves (including built-in units)
- Popcorn machines (floor-model)
- Refrigerators, freezers, ice cream dispensers
- Steam tables used to keep food hot
- Unit air conditioners
- Vending machines
- Water heaters
Recycling White Goods
- White goods must be free of hazardous material, and all lab equipment must have a completed Safety Clearance Form attached.
- All discarded white goods that are on inventory at UNC-Chapel Hill are to be cleared through University Surplus Property to determine if they can be reused or sold.
- Items to be disposed are then to be transported to Orange County’s white goods recycling facility located at the landfill (no charge, but you must go across the scales.)
- The county’s recycling program will accept an unlimited number of units without refrigeration. However, they will only accept 10 units with refrigeration in a single delivery. To deliver more than 10 units (with refrigeration) in a single delivery, please call the landfill manager at 919-932-2989 one day in advance so that the materials can be received in an orderly fashion.
NOTE: Orange County accepts units with R12, R22 and 134A refrigerants, but NOT 502 or other refrigerants. Units with other refrigerants must have the refrigerants evacuated by the HVAC’s refrigeration group and be tagged before the units will be accepted by Orange County. For more information about clearing units before recycling, call 919-962-1087.