How to Get Rid of an Old Refrigerator in Rockford and Nearby Towns

Town by town

• Rockford: refrigerant-containing appliances need a licensed refrigeration technician's certification attached; you can also haul to the Winnebago Landfill yourself (City of Rockford).
• Roscoe: White goods (washers, dryers, stoves, refrigerators, air conditioners and water heaters) cannot go out through Roscoe's bulk-item program, and neither can hazardous materials or construction debris.
• Cherry Valley: One white good, such as a refrigerator or dishwasher, is picked up per week. Additional white goods on the same pickup are $50 each, with a limit of two.
• Winnebago: Appliances are excluded from the free bulk allowance because they are banned from direct landfill disposal, along with tires, car batteries, TVs and other electronics.
• Pecatonica: Appliances do not count as free bulk items; Gill's lists them with tires, car batteries, TVs and electronics as items banned from direct landfill disposal.
• Durand: White goods are picked up for $50 each; schedule through Waste Management at 1-800-964-8988, its website or its app.
• Belvidere: White goods such as refrigerators and dishwashers are $50 per item, paid in advance, and have to be scheduled and confirmed with Rock River Disposal before collection.
• Poplar Grove: MDC Environmental Services, the village's hauler, excludes appliances from the free weekly bulk item because they are banned from direct landfill disposal.

Every other town's rule, or the lack of one, is on its town page.

The state and federal rules behind it

Illinois law says no person shall knowingly offer for collection or collect white goods for landfill disposal unless the white good components have been removed (415 ILCS 5/22.28). Illinois EPA lists those components as mercury switches, CFC refrigerant gas and PCBs, banned from landfills since July 1, 1994, and suggests a scrap yard as an alternative once components are removed (Illinois EPA). Federally, the final disposer must make sure refrigerant is recovered (EPA).

Rebates

ComEd's 2026 appliance rebate page lists rebates on efficient new appliances; we could not confirm a 2026 refrigerator recycling pickup program on ComEd's site (details).