Why refrigerant appliances are different
Under federal rules, the refrigerant in a household fridge, freezer or window air conditioner has to be recovered before the appliance is scrapped or landfilled. The responsibility sits with whoever is last in the disposal chain, usually the scrap yard or the landfill. That’s why transfer stations charge a separate fee for these items or send them to a recycler.
If the refrigerant has already been removed, the place that takes the appliance has to keep a signed statement with the name and address of the person who recovered it. The EPA doesn’t accept a sticker on the appliance as proof.
- Don’t cut the lines to drain it yourself. Releasing refrigerant on purpose is against federal law.
- Empty it, let it defrost and dry out, and tape the doors shut or take them off while it waits.
- Ask your station before you go whether it wants the refrigerant removed first.
EPA: safe disposal of refrigerators, freezers and window AC units →
What local transfer stations charge
Each town sets its own rules, and you can only use your own town’s station. These are the current published fees for a fridge, freezer, air conditioner or dehumidifier in some of the towns we serve.
- Augusta and the Hatch Hill towns: white goods are $30 a ton ($6 minimum) at the scale, and residents pay $25 more for each fridge or other appliance with refrigerant (fees effective Sept. 1, 2024). Every vehicle needs a Hatch Hill permit or, for Augusta residents, a 3-trip pass.
- Skowhegan: $10 for each freon appliance (fees effective January 2025), plus the $10 vehicle sticker.
- Readfield: $10 for anything with freon; stoves and other appliances without freon are free (January 2026).
- Windsor: $15 each for fridges, freezers, air conditioners and dehumidifiers; washers and dryers are free.
- China: $25 for a fridge, $20 for an air conditioner or dehumidifier (June 2026).
- Sidney: freon appliances need a permit from the Town Office on Middle Road before you go to the station.
- Pittsfield: the town says freon must be removed from fridges and other large appliances before disposal.
- Waterville and Winslow: no town transfer station. Waterville points residents to AIM Recycling at 25 Ayers Street in Oakland, which takes freon units (207-465-2212).
Hatch Hill permits and fees (City of Augusta) →
Readfield transfer station fees (2026) →
Windsor transfer station guide →
Getting it out of the house
The fee is usually the easy part. A full-size fridge or chest freezer is heavy and awkward, and most of them live in a kitchen with a tight turn or in a basement at the bottom of the stairs. Plan the route before you lift: measure doorways, take the doors off if you need the inches, and use an appliance dolly with a strap.
Keep an upright fridge upright as much as you can, and don’t lay a chest freezer on its lid. If you’re keeping the appliance, let it stand a few hours before plugging it back in. If it’s going to the station, none of that matters, but a dropped fridge on a staircase still does.
When it makes sense to have us take it
We take fridges, freezers, air conditioners and dehumidifiers as they are, refrigerant and all. Each one is a $40 add-on to the regular price, which starts at $150 for 1 or 2 items. If it’s part of a bigger cleanout, it goes on the same trip as everything else.
Text a photo of the appliance and one of the way out (stairs, doorways, the walk to the driveway) to (207) 707-6335. You’ll get a price before anything is moved.