Picker,
Refrigerators, freezers,
air conditioners and dehumidifers are worth the money if you follow all the regulations and can do the work yourself. The Clean Air Act prohibits the intentional venting of
refrigerant which all of these contain. Most yards will charge you for units that are not recovered (refrigerant) yet. Other yards may require certification that the units were recovered. There are a few yards out there that will not charge you. These yards are responsible for recovering the refrigerant. You must take and pass a test in order to become certified to recover refrigerant. The class / test cost me $200. Once you have this, you will need the proper equipment. I spent about $1500 to get my recovery unit, scale, tank, hoses, manifold, pressure gauge and tapping accessories. If this has scared you away from doing it properly and you are thinking about cutting the lines and letting the refrigerant fly, don't. The fines for the intentional release exceed $37,000 and the EPA will not believe it was an accident.
Dishwashers - depends on your yard, the quantities that you are bringing in on a regular basis and your relationship with your yard. You are correct that dishwashers contain a lot of plastic. If you are a regular at your yard, bring in large quantities of mostly clean shred and have established a good relationship with the yard, they may allow you to dump dishwashers. Keep in mind that the final product is clean metals. Either your yard, or the yard that they are selling to must process this material. The amount of fluff (plastics and other non metal items) affects there bottom line which ultimately affects what your yard can pay per pound.
TVs - here we go with more regulations. If you really want to do some reading, look up "40 CFR 261". This is some pretty heavy reading. Old CRT tvs and monitors contain leaded glass and other dangerous substances. There are potential fines, although I don't know the exact amount, for the improper disposal of this material. A TV may generate up to $5 in scrap, but is it worth the environmental hazards and the risk of getting caught and fined. There are companies out there that will properly recycle these. Some may give you a few cents a pound and others will charge you.
Scrapping can be an extremely rewarding job or hobby. Before you expand into electronic waste and appliances containing refrigerant, I would suggest doing some more research. It may save you a considerable amount of money in the future.
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