Reviewed September 21, 2026 against City and County sources. Confirm hours before you drive.
- 1Empty food, unplug the unit, and let it defrost. Tape the doors or remove them so a child cannot get trapped.
- 2Do not put a refrigerator in a household trash, recycling, or organics bin, and do not take it onto the Miramar landfill trash deck as general refuse.
- 3Self-haul to the Miramar Recycling Center at 5165 Convoy St (Monday–Saturday 7 a.m.–4:30 p.m.) or ask a retailer if they take the old unit when you buy a new one.
- 4If you cannot load it, book appliance removal. Disconnect water lines on ice-maker fridges before a crew arrives.
Why a fridge is not landfill trash
City of San Diego collection rules list appliances — including water heaters and major appliances — as items that must never go in any household bin. At the Miramar Landfill, CRTs, TVs, appliances, universal waste, e-waste, and household hazardous materials must be properly disposed of before a load enters the landfill. The City’s simplified fee notes also state that metallic discards such as refrigerators, washing machines, and dishwashers are not accepted for disposal at the landfill; those goods go to recycling centers.
That is California metallic-discard and refrigerant reality, not a Fred’s rule. Refrigerators, freezers, and air conditioners contain chlorofluorocarbons or other refrigerants that have to be recovered. Do not cut lines, vent gas, or smash a compressor in a driveway. A licensed appliance recycler handles that recovery. Putting a fridge on the curb on trash day is illegal dumping.
Miramar Recycling Center and pickup
The Miramar Recycling Center is at 5165 Convoy Street, 92111, Monday through Saturday 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., closed Sundays and the same City holidays as the landfill. Posted recycling fees (confirm on arrival; they change with the fiscal year) include $25 each for refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners, and other CFC appliances, and $12 each for large household appliances such as stoves, washers, dryers, and hot water heaters. TVs and computer towers are listed separately as donation-only electronics.
WasteFreeSD.org lists other appliance reuse and recycling outlets by ZIP. Some big-box deliveries will haul the old fridge when they roll in the new one — ask before you schedule. Unincorporated county bulky-item programs include refrigerators as “white goods,” with two free pickups a year for qualifying single-family customers. City of San Diego residents do not currently have a routine bulky pickup; a program is planned for 2027.
Fred’s appliance removal starts at $69 curbside when the fridge is staged at a drive-up spot and disconnected. Full-service from $130 if we carry from a kitchen or laundry. We take units to recycling, not the trash deck. Text a photo and say whether the doors are off and the water line is capped.
Official sources
Need pickup instead of drop-off? See appliance removal or text a photo.
