Editing Refrigerator (section)

== Disposal ==
[[File:Servel Electrolux Gas Refrigerator ad, 1941.jpg|thumb|1941 Ad for [[Servel]] [[Electrolux]] Gas Refrigerator (Absorption),<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://refresearch.com/the-first-absorption-refrigerator/|title=The First Absorption Refrigerator|first=Neil|last=Lobocki|date=4 October 2017|access-date=25 January 2020|archive-date=26 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200126002808/https://refresearch.com/the-first-absorption-refrigerator/|url-status=live}}</ref> designed by [[Norman Bel Geddes]].<ref>{{cite patent
| country = US
| number = 95817S
| title = Design for a refrigerator cabinet
| gdate = 1935-06-04
| inventor = Norman Bel Geddes
| url = https://patents.google.com/patent/USD95817S
}} {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220311163918/https://patents.google.com/patent/USD95817S |date=11 March 2022 }}</ref><ref>{{cite patent
| country = US
| number = 2127212A
| title = Refrigerator
| pubdate = 1935-07-24
| gdate = 1938-08-16
| inventor = Norman Bel Geddes
| url = https://patents.google.com/patent/US2127212A
}} {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210613205453/https://patents.google.com/patent/US2127212A |date=13 June 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://norman.hrc.utexas.edu/nbgpublic/details.cfm?id=252|title=Norman Bel Geddes Database|website=norman.hrc.utexas.edu|access-date=25 January 2020|archive-date=26 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200126003004/https://norman.hrc.utexas.edu/nbgpublic/details.cfm%3Fid%3D252|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1998, [[U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission|CPSC]] warned that old units still in use could be deadly, and offered a  $100 reward plus disposal costs to consumers who properly disposed of their old Servels.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/1998/CPSC-Warns-That-Old-Servel-Gas-Refrigerators-Still-In-Use-Can-Be-Deadly/|title=CPSC, Warns That Old Servel Gas Refrigerators Still In Use Can Be Deadly|date=19 May 2016|website=U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission|access-date=25 January 2020|archive-date=26 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200126003305/https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/1998/CPSC-Warns-That-Old-Servel-Gas-Refrigerators-Still-In-Use-Can-Be-Deadly/|url-status=live}}</ref>]]

An increasingly important environmental concern is the disposal of old refrigerators—initially because [[chlorofluorocarbon]] coolants damage the [[ozone layer]]—but as older generation refrigerators wear out, the destruction of CFC-bearing insulation also causes concern. Modern refrigerators usually use a refrigerant called HFC-134a ([[1,1,1,2-Tetrafluoroethane]]), which, unlike CFCs, does not deplete the ozone layer, although it still is a quite potent [[greenhouse gas]]. HFC-134a is becoming much rarer in Europe, where newer refrigerants are being used instead. The main refrigerant now used is R-600a ([[Isobutane#Refrigerant|isobutane]]), which has a smaller effect on the atmosphere if released. There have been reports of refrigerators exploding if the refrigerant leaks isobutane in the presence of a spark.  If the coolant leaks into the refrigerator, at times when the door is not being opened (such as overnight) the concentration of coolant in the air within the refrigerator can build up to form an explosive mixture that can be ignited either by a spark from the thermostat or when the light comes on as the door is opened, resulting in documented cases of serious property damage and injury or even death from the resulting explosion.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/tragic-bride-killed-after-fridge-6817075 |title=Tragic bride-to-be's fridge-freezer exploded and 'turned into a Bunsen burner' |website=[[Daily Mirror]] |date=12 November 2015 |access-date=14 June 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170805221722/http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/tragic-bride-killed-after-fridge-6817075 |archive-date=5 August 2017}} [[Daily Mirror]] November 2015</ref>

Disposal of discarded refrigerators is regulated, often mandating the removal of doors for safety reasons. Children have been [[Refrigerator death|asphyxiated while playing with discarded refrigerators]], particularly older models with latching doors. Since the 1950s regulations in many places have mandated using refrigerator doors that can be pushed opened from inside.<ref>[http://law.justia.com/cfr/title16/16-2.0.1.6.79.html PART 1750—STANDARD FOR DEVICES TO PERMIT THE OPENING OF HOUSEHOLD REFRIGERATOR DOORS FROM THE INSIDE :: PART 1750-STANDARD FOR DEVICES TO PERMIT THE OPENING OF HOUSEHOLD REFRI] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130115170122/http://law.justia.com/cfr/title16/16-2.0.1.6.79.html |date=15 January 2013 }}. Law.justia.com. Retrieved on 26 August 2013.</ref> Modern units use a magnetic door gasket that holds the door sealed but allows it to be pushed open from the inside.<ref>{{cite web | last = Adams | first = Cecil | year = 2005 | url = http://www.straightdope.com/columns/050304.html | title = Is it impossible to open a refrigerator door from the inside? | access-date = 31 August 2006 | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060707015554/http://www.straightdope.com/columns/050304.html | archive-date = 7 July 2006 | df = dmy-all }}</ref> This gasket was invented, developed and manufactured by Max Baermann (1903–1984) of [[Bergisch Gladbach]]/Germany.<ref>{{Cite book|chapter=Die westdeutsche Wirtschaft und ihre fuehrenden Maenner|title=North Rhine Westphalia, Part III|year=1975|via=Flexible Magnetic Strips, Tromaflex company history (excerpt)|url=http://www.max-baermann.de/uk-flex-history.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160428173907/http://www.max-baermann.de/uk-flex-history.htm|archive-date=28 April 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite patent

| country = US
| number = 2959832
| title = Flexible or resilient permanent magnets
| gdate = 1960-11-15
| fdate = 1957-10-31
| inventor = Max Baermann
| url = https://patents.google.com/patent/US2959832
}} {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220307184227/https://patents.google.com/patent/US2959832 |date=7 March 2022 }}</ref>

Regarding total life-cycle costs, many governments offer incentives to encourage recycling of old refrigerators. One example is the Phoenix refrigerator program launched in Australia. This government incentive picked up old refrigerators, paying their owners for "donating" the refrigerator. The refrigerator was then refurbished, with new door seals, a thorough cleaning, and the removal of items such as the cover that is strapped to the back of many older units. The resulting refrigerators, now over 10% more efficient, were then given to low-income families.{{Citation needed|date=January 2011}} The United States also has a program for collecting and replacing older, less-efficient refrigerators and other [[white goods]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Haney |first=Kevin |date=2023-12-04 |title=Free Appliance Replacement: Low-Income Government Programs |url=https://www.growingfamilybenefits.com/free-appliances-low-income/ |access-date=2023-12-05 |website=www.growingfamilybenefits.com |language=en-US}}</ref> These programs seek to replace large appliances that are old and inefficient or faulty by newer, more energy-efficient appliances, to reduce the cost imposed on lower-income families, and reduce pollution caused by the older appliances.