NEW CASTLE, DELAWARE (4/22/2015) The Delaware Department of Health and Social Services was hailed Tuesday as the first state partner in the federal Environmental Protection Agency’s Responsible Appliance Disposal Program, a nationwide effort to protect the ozone layer and reduce greenhouse gases by properly disposing old refrigerators, freezers and other appliances.
“By joining EPA’s RAD program, DHSS becomes an environmentally responsible partner in helping to protect the ozone layer and combat climate change,” said EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Shawn M. Garvin.
. “Everybody wins when we responsibly dispose of appliances with refrigerants because it reduces greenhouse gas emissions and makes a positive impact on the air we breathe,” Gavin said.
DHSS Secretary Rita Landgraf said, “By recycling old air-conditioning units, refrigerators and freezers from our buildings, and recovering the refrigerant and foam from those appliances, DHSS is demonstrating that we can be good environmental stewards, too. We are proud to be the first state partner in the EPA’s Responsible Appliance Disposal Program.”
DHSS operates social services, senior living and health facilities in 156 buildings throughout Delaware where there is a consistent turnover of appliances. In 2014 alone, DHSS recycled 8,605 pounds of heating, ventilation and air conditioning appliances, and DHSS estimates that the department will divert more than six tons of waste from landfills by 2016.
