When discarding your old appliance, either as a trade-in or for scrap, make sure you leave all the parts with the unit. Without all the pieces to it, there is little chance that anyone will be able to repair it for resale. On older models, items such as shelves, trays and drawers are usually the hardest to find and the most expensive to replace if not included with the unit.

If the dealer is removing the old appliance for you, try to find out if they donate the old appliance to a charitable organization for resale or if they just scrap it. If they just toss it out, consider making your own arrangements to get it to a local charity. Some dealers will even offer to take it to them for you.

Please keep in mind that most charities would usually prefer to receive items in working condition. If you have not-too-old of appliances which are still functioning but you are remodeling and just replacing the existing ones, they would likely make a good donation. Older refrigerators and freezers however may not be accepted as they are likely to be energy hogs.

If the charity will only accept appliances within a certain age, you can use our appliance date code service to try to find out the age of your possible donation. Find your appliance's age by using the Applaince411 Date Code Search service and following the instructions.

Disposal of refrigerated appliances (refrigerators, freezers and soon air conditioners) require special handling. You can't just haul them to the dump! Check this site (EPA: Disposal of Refrigerated Household Appliances: FAQ) for what is required.