A new recycling center in Syracuse is partnering with utility providers like NYSEG, RG & E, and National Grid to make it easier to get rid of old refrigerators and freezers. ARCA Recyling’s new facility will service much of the Upstate New York area.
It’s the company’s third location in the northeast after Boston and Philadelphia.
“Total employees just in the area right now before we’re ramping up with our teams out, we got six trucks out on the road, six days a week,” said Westerberg. “We’ve got our internal staff. So we’re probably about 20 people, and that will continue to grow as the volume grows.”
Rich Westerberg is an Account Manager for ARCA. He says once the facility is fully operating, they estimate they’ll process about one thousand appliances a week. Here’s how it works. ARCA will come to your home, and pick up a refrigerator free of charge as long as it’s in working condition. It will be taken to its Syracuse facility and disassembled. Regional Transportation Director Stefan Marszalek says the materials all get disposed of responsibly or transformed into other products.
“They did a special out in Washington where they were making bicycles out of a lot of the aluminum that we recycle,” said Marszalek. “So everything goes its own way and is recycled. It’s utilized for future materials, future products.”
And at the end, the customer receives a rebate check. Marszalek says a customer won’t wait long for fridge pick up or receiving the check.
“I believe right now, I think we’re averaging right around 5 days from order placement to pick up,” said Marszalek. “A customer calls in, within five days their unit is being picked up. And then within 10 days from that, they’re receiving a rebate check.”
Currently,NYSEG, RG & E, and National Grid customers are eligible for the program. ARCA estimates that the Syracuse facility will recycle 18 thousand units per year.