You must make an appointment to dispose of a refrigerator, air conditioner, or other appliance containing CFC (chlorofluorocarbon) gas.

CFC, also called Freon, is found in appliances that cool or chill. Before these appliances can be collected, the Department of Sanitation (DSNY) must remove the CFC from the appliance so it can be recycled safely.

You can make a CFC removal appointment for a residential address or a non-profit institution serviced by the Department of Sanitation to collect:

  • Refrigerators and freezers with non-flammable Freon
  • Air conditioners
  • Dehumidifiers
  • Water coolers

Up to 10 appliances can be scheduled for CFC removal per appointment.

Appliances with Flammable Freon

Some appliances contain a new kind of Freon (R600a) that DSNY will not remove. These appliances have warning stickers that are yellow triangles with black flames. Contact the appliance's manufacturer or a waste removal vendor for options to safely dispose of the appliance. If you put out an appliance with this sticker, DSNY will tag it with a red sticker that will tell you how to dispose of it.

Appliances from Commercial Addresses

Stores and other commercial locations must arrange with a private carter for CFC removal and item disposal.

Oversized Appliances

If your appliance is oversized or commercial-sized, it won't fit in the garbage truck. You must hire a private removal service or carter for disposal. You can find a business that offers private waste disposal in the phone book.

Soda Machines

To dispose of a soda machine, you must make a special request by phone.

Call 311 for assistance.

Step 1: Schedule the appointment online yourself or with 311. You can schedule up to 10 items per appointment. Keep your appointment number for future reference.

Step 2: Remove doors, hinges, and locks if you’re disposing of a refrigerator or freezer.

Step 3: Place the item curbside between 4 PM and midnight the evening before the scheduled appointment. The appliance must be placed with its back facing the street. You don’t have to do anything else.

Step 4: On the appointment day, DSNY will remove the CFC and tag the appliance. The tag has a six-digit number so that collection workers can verify that it is ready for pick-up.

Step 5: DSNY collection workers will pick up the tagged items on your next recycling day.

Add Items to a Scheduled Appointment

If you have already scheduled an appointment and have additional items you need to dispose of, or if someone else has already made a pick-up request for your preferred appointment date, you must schedule a separate appointment for your other items on a different date.

You can confirm and check the status of your CFC removal appointment with your Service Request number.

If you provided your email address when scheduling a CFC removal appointment, you should have received an email confirmation with your Service Request number a few minutes after making the appointment.

You ​must have your service request number to cancel or reschedule an appointment, up to 24 hours before your appointment date. If you’ve already placed the appliance at the curb, you must bring it back inside.

If you didn’t cancel your appointment and your appliance is curbside, Sanitation will still try to pick it up. If they can’t find it, they’ll close the appointment with the note "Not On Location."

Call 311 for assistance.

The CFC removal service is only available to residential addresses and non-profit institutions serviced by the Department of Sanitation. Stores and other commercial locations must arrange with a private carter for CFC removal and item disposal.

To learn more, visit to the Commercial Waste Disposal page.

Schools

Schools can make appointments for regular appliances, but they must use private contractors for oversized or commercial-size appliances.

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