WASHINGTON (Nov. 21, 2022) — This month, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it has awarded 12 partners under the Responsible Appliance Disposal (RAD) Program for outstanding achievements in appliance recycling. The honors were announced as EPA marks the 16th year of program implementation and third annual RAD Leadership Awards Ceremony, which was hosted virtually as part of the Annual RAD Partner Meeting. 

“The RAD Partners always inspire us to aim higher through their appliance recycling achievements that protect the ozone layer, combat climate change, and reduce needless landfill volume, all while supporting the health of communities,” said Joe Goffman, Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Office of Air and Radiation. “It is a privilege to celebrate the RAD Leadership Award Winners of 2022. These partners are leading by example, demonstrating dynamic innovation and collaboration, and showing the highest standards and levels of processing in the safe disposal of appliances.”

For 16 years, Partners in EPA’s RAD program have leveraged best environmental practices to collect and dispose of old refrigerated appliances such as refrigerators and freezers, window air conditioners, and dehumidifiers. By committing to recover appliance insulation foam, RAD Partners take an admirable step beyond solely complying with federal laws on the recovery of refrigerant, used oil, mercury, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). RAD partners are leaders in advancing recycling of durable goods, and promoting the permanent retirement of older, inefficient refrigerators from our energy grids. Since the inception of RAD in 2006, the dedication of RAD partners has produced significant environmental benefits: recycling more than 9.4 million refrigerated appliances and reducing emissions of ozone-depleting substances by 1,996 ODP-weighted tons.

The RAD Leadership Award winners were honored in three categories: the RAD Champion Award, the RAD Program Growth Award, and the RAD Ambassador Award.

• The RAD Champion Award recognizes the RAD Partners with the highest rates of insulation foam recovery in refrigerated appliances. The ten recipients of the award this year are General Electric Appliances (Louisville, Ky.), Turlock Irrigation District (Turlock, Calif.), Palo Alto Utilities (Palo Alto, Calif.), Silicon Valley Power (Santa Clara, Calif.), Modesto Irrigation District (Modesto, Calif.), City of Burbank (Burbank, Calif.), Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (Los Angeles, Calif.), Sacramento Municipal Utility District (Sacramento, Calif.), Georgia Power (Atlanta, Ga.), Power New Mexico (Albuquerque, N.M.).

• The RAD Program Growth Award recognizes the top three RAD Partners with the greatest annual percentage increase in refrigerated appliance units processed. This year’s winners are Delmarva Power (Washington, D.C.), Georgia Power (Atlanta, Ga.), City of Burbank (Burbank, Calif.).

• The RAD Ambassador Award was presented to Exquisite Property Services (EPS) (Newark, N.J.), who has demonstrated exemplary Partner practices and promoted sustainability at every turn. EPS is a leader in the RAD network and their community, initiating key engagement with the RAD team that elevated environmental justice and resonant communication about RAD’s benefits to communities, fostering relationships with new RAD Partners, and catalyzing a novel appliance recycling partnership model with local collaborators, which enables EPS and any like-minded Newark community organization to recycle units according to RAD best practices.

Learn more about the RAD Program and its awards.