Very Cool! Consumers Energy and Michigan Residents Recycle More Than 100,000 Refrigerators and Freezers

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Dec 01, 2014, 06:00 ET

JACKSON, Mich., Dec. 1, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Michigan residents are doing cool things for their budgets, the environment and the economy, recycling more than 100,000 refrigerators and freezers since 2009 with the help of Consumers Energy.

"By recycling old appliances, which are often several decades old, we are able to fulfill our Promise to help Michigan save energy," said Garrick Rochow, Consumers Energy's vice president of customer operations and quality. "We see the benefits of appliance recycling in so many ways, from the rebates that people receive to the Michigan jobs this effort creates."

Consumers Energy customers collect $50 for every refrigerator or freezer they recycle, and they save even more on their bills from switching to more energy-efficient models. If a refrigerator is more than 15 years old, it could be using up to four times more energy than a new version. A household could save $150 a year on its electric bills with a new refrigerator.

Some facts about appliance recycling and energy efficiency:

$575 million: The amount of money that Michigan homes and businesses served by Consumers Energy have saved through energy efficiency since 2009.
50: The number of jobs that the appliance recycling program has helped create at facilities in Grand Rapids and Livonia. Refrigerators and freezers are brought to those two sites, where they are disassembled to be recycled and turned into new materials.
700,000: The number of tons of carbon dioxide removed from the air by recycling 100,000 refrigerators and freezers. That's the same as taking about 100,000 cars off the road.

"We know the least expensive form of energy is the energy we don't use," Rochow said. "Appliance recycling has made a tremendous impact in our state, and we look forward to recycling the next 100,000 refrigerators and freezers."

Consumers Energy makes it easy to recycle. Residential electric customers can schedule a free pickup. Go to www.ConsumersEnergy.com/recycle to learn more.

Consumers Energy, Michigan's largest utility, is the principal subsidiary of CMS Energy (NYSE: CMS), providing natural gas and electricity to 6.5 million of the state's 10 million residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties.

Media toolkit

LEARN MORE: Turn in your old refrigerator or freezer, and schedule a free pickup: www.ConsumersEnergy.com/recycle

ENERGY EFFICIENCY: Consumers Energy offers energy-efficiency rebates and programs for homes and businesses: www.ConsumersEnergy.com/save

For more information about Consumers Energy, go to www.ConsumersEnergy.com, join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ConsumersEnergyMichigan and follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/ConsumersEnergy.

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SOURCE Consumers Energy