Omaha Public Power District’s refrigerator/freezer recycling program returns for a third year. Beginning March 1, for a limited time, OPPD will recycle your old refrigerator, haul it away and pay you $35.

Old refrigerators can use up to four times more electricity than new ones. Operating in spaces that aren’t temperature-controlled, like a garage, makes them work even harder, especially in the hot days of summer.

Retiring your old, inefficient second refrigerator or freezer is good for the environment – and it could save you up to $150 a year. Over the past two years 4,157 such units were collected through the program.

“The program has proven very successful, both in terms of removing inefficient appliances from the grid and for responsibly recycling the materials,” said OPPD Vice President Tim Burke. “We encourage customers to take advantage of the program this year, which is the third year for the grant.”

Funding for the program comes from the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality Waste Reduction and Recycling Incentive Grants Program, which is co-sponsoring the program with OPPD.

OPPD customers can take advantage of the program by calling 1-866-444-9160 or visiting www.jacoinc.net to schedule a pick-up.

The program covers the removal of up to two units per household. Appliances to be recycled must be in working order, with an inside measurement of between 10 and 32 cubic feet.

OPPD contracts with JACO Environmental, a firm that will remove the appliances from participating customers’ homes.

JACO dismantles and recycles the appliances. JACO’s process recycles 95 percent of the material in the appliances. Even the foam insulation, which cannot be recycled, is safely incinerated through a method that generates electricity for the grid. Some of the materials inside refrigerators and freezers pose an environmental threat if discarded in landfills.

The program will run through October 2012, if funds permit.

For more information, visit oppd.com/fridge or call 1-866-444-9160.