A Tale of Two Fridges

Now that we're over 1 year old, it's fun to think back to the shenanigans that happened when we were first getting started! I have two stories for you. This first tale involves a mini fridge. Actually, they both do.

I wanted a mini fridge for the studio space. I wanted to keep my lunch in there on work days, I wanted to stock drinks for my students, etc. A friend called me and said "There's a mini fridge next to my dumpster and it looks to be in really good shape!" So naturally, I drove over there immediately, without a bra on, and put it in the back of my car. I didn't know anything about this fridge except that it was in visibly good condition. We got it back to the studio and WOMP WOMP... it didn't work. Now what?

I couldn't just throw it in the dumpster. So I did something I've never done before - I took it to the dump. The Municipality of Anchorage has a program for responsibly recycling appliances, but it unfortunately cost me $32 to do so. So I paid that $32 and dropped that bad boy in fridge purgatory (pictured here).

As I drove away I felt like there had to be something I could share to prevent other people from running into this situation. Here's my quickie advice when it comes to getting rid of working appliances of all kinds:

Good - take it to your local dump/waste services station for them to dispose of it. It's a bummer you have to pay for it, but at least it's done in the best way possible. Unfortunately though, some of it will still probably go to the landfill.

Better - donate it! Take it to a nearby donation collection center and let them know that it works and they can price it and sell it accordingly. Habitat for Humanity ReStore will often take appliances - just give them a call or check their website/social media to make sure before you drive it down there! Or, schedule a time to have them pick it up.

Best - post it on craiglist or Facebook Marketplace where you can directly give it to another human who is in search of this particular appliance. In this case, you know it's going to get used right away by the person who buys it! I know this can take time and effort, but it's the BEST way to give something like this a second life.

Now, if the appliance doesn't work anymore, it's still not a bad idea to try any of these methods. You never know if there is someone out there who will accept or is looking for broken appliances for one reason or another!

Stay tuned until next time for A Tale of Two Fridges - Part II!