Recycling Program Helps ComEd Customers Find Creative Ways to Stay Environmentally Conscious and Save Money

ComEd’s Smart Ideas® Fridge & Freezer Recycling program helps ComEd customers save green and earn green in a big way. Through this program, ComEd will pick up a customer’s old, working refrigerator or freezer for FREE, recycle it in an environmentally responsible way and send customers $35 for participating. Additionally, ComEd announces it recently achieved a milestone of recycling its 200,000th unit through the program.

Created in partnership with JACO Environmental, which operates a local recycling facility in Addison, Ill., this program provides customers an easy way to recycle their old refrigerator and freezer, save money on wasted electricity and help the environment all with one simple action.

Old refrigerators and freezers can consume as much as three times more energy than newer models and could cost customers up to $150 a year in electricity. In addition, recycling these appliances helps prevent oils and refrigerants from escaping into the environment. Recycling also reduces the amount of glass, metal and plastics that could end up in landfills. Since the start of the program in 2008, more than 13,000 tons of metal, 2,500 tons of plastic and 500 tons of glass have been kept out of local landfills and put toward the production of useful products such as laptop computer cases and building supplies.

“We understand the extremely important role we play in preserving the environment and communities in which we operate, which is why we’ve created our Smart Ideas programs to equip our customers with the right tools and knowledge to help them make smarter energy decisions,” said Val Jensen, senior vice president of Customer Operations at ComEd. “We’re proud of the significant milestone we’ve reached with our customers through this program, which demonstrates our continued commitment to providing those we serve with opportunities to save energy and money, and give back to the environment.”

In addition to working refrigerators and freezers, ComEd will also reward $10 for a working room air conditioner when it’s picked up at the same time as a fridge or freezer.

The Fridge & Freezer Recycling program is among a wide variety of programs, tools and resources ComEd offers through its Smart Ideasenergy efficiency programs to help its customers stay environmentally conscious, conserve energy and save money. Now in its sixth program year, ComEd’s award winning Smart Ideas have helped customers save more than $700 million on their electric bills and more than seven million megawatt hours of energy savings. This is equivalent to the energy required to power nearly 760,000 homes for one year.

To schedule a free pickup and to learn more about ComEd’s Fridge & Freezer Recycling program, customers can call 855-433-2700 or visit ComEd.com/FridgeRecycling.

For additional Smart Ideas tools and tips on how to save energy and money, visit ComEd.com/HomeSavings for residential customers and ComEd.com/BizIncentives for business customers. Customers can also follow ComEd on Facebook and Twitter for additional updates and ways to save.

Commonwealth Edison Company (ComEd) is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC), the nation’s leading competitive energy provider, with approximately 6.6 million customers. ComEd provides service to approximately 3.8 million customers across northern Illinois, or 70 percent of the state’s population.