The short answer
Refrigerators are the hardest single household item to get rid of yourself. They are heavy, they are tall enough to be awkward on stairs, they contain refrigerant, and they are among the categories most likely to be excluded from whatever bulky collection your town runs. Check your own municipality's current bulky-item page before planning around it — Raleigh, Cary, Apex, Garner, Morrisville, Wake Forest and Holly Springs all set their own terms.
Flat prices: standard refrigerator $164, side-by-side or French door $183, built-in or Sub-Zero $238, mini fridge $115. Disposal is included and there is no refrigerant fee. The per-visit minimum is $75.
The prices
| Item | Flat price |
|---|---|
| Refrigerator (Standard) | $164 |
| Refrigerator (Side-by-Side / French Door) | $183 |
| Refrigerator — Built-in / Sub-Zero | $238 |
| Refrigerator — Commercial / Glass-Door Merchandiser | $316 |
| Mini Fridge | $115 |
| Freezer (Chest) | $146 |
| Freezer (Upright) | $149 |
| Wine Cooler (Large / Floor) | $156 |
| Wine Cooler (Small / Countertop) | $111 |
| Ice Maker | $115 |
The Wake County garage fridge
This is the defining Raleigh version of the job. Cary, Apex, Holly Springs, Morrisville and the newer parts of Wake Forest were built out with two- and three-car garages, and a very large number of them hold a second refrigerator — usually the one the kitchen replaced.
It sits in an uncooled garage through a Piedmont summer, working far harder than it was designed to, which is why so many of them give out in August. When it does, it is $164 for a standard unit or $183 for a side-by-side. It is normally also at the back of the garage behind the lawn mower, the bikes and four years of boxes, and getting round all of that is included in the price.
The kitchens it has to come out of
Older ranch homes inside the Beltline — Five Points, Hayes Barton, Longview Gardens, parts of Mordecai — have small kitchens with doorways sized before refrigerators got wide. A modern French-door unit frequently has to have its doors taken off to leave the room it is standing in, and then the same again at the exterior door.
That is part of the job, not an addition to the price. Same with a built-in or Sub-Zero at $238, which is cabinetry-integrated and has to be unfastened from the surround before it moves at all.
Empty it, defrost it, prop it
Three things, all worth doing a day ahead.
- Empty it completely. Anything left in a fridge that has been off in a humid Raleigh garage for a week is a problem nobody wants to open.
- Defrost it. A freezer compartment full of ice is extra weight and a puddle across your floor on the way out.
- Prop the door open once it is empty, and tape it shut again before moving day. An unpropped empty fridge in a Wake County garage in July grows things fast.
You do not need to move it to the curb, disconnect a water line to an ice maker, or get it down the steps. All of that is in the price.
Mini fridges and May
Every May the NC State move-out produces mini fridges in volume — off Avent Ferry, Gorman Street, Hillsborough Street and the apartment blocks feeding Centennial Campus. They are $115 each, which clears the $75 minimum on its own, and they very rarely leave alone: a mini fridge at $115 alongside a twin mattress at $82 is $115 + $82 = $197 for a student unit cleared in one visit.
If you are a landlord turning several units on the same street in the same week, put them on one booking. Dates in that window fill up faster than any other stretch of the Raleigh year.
Selling or donating it instead
A working fridge under about ten years old can sell in the Cary, Apex and North Raleigh groups, and some reuse operations will take one if it runs and is clean. Two caveats specific to here. First, buyers want to see it running, which means you cannot unplug it two weeks early. Second, a fridge that has spent its later life in a garage usually shows it, and a musty interior kills a listing fast.
If you have a hard date — a kitchen install, a closing, a relocation into RTP — set a cutoff a week beforehand and book the removal for the day after it. A fridge sitting in the driveway waiting for a buyer who does not come is the worst version of this.
What usually goes with it
Refrigerators leave as part of kitchen work more often than alone. A remodel in an older Raleigh ranch typically produces the fridge, the range and the dishwasher together: $164 + $134 + $109 = $407. A garage clear-out usually produces the old fridge and the chest freezer beside it: $164 + $146 = $310.
One visit, one flat total, quoted from photos before a crew is dispatched. No stair charge, no refrigerant fee, no separate disposal charge.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a refrigerant fee for fridge disposal?
No. There is no refrigerant fee, no environmental surcharge and no separate disposal charge. A standard refrigerator is $164, a side-by-side or French-door unit is $183, and a built-in is $238 — everything included.
Will bulk trash take a refrigerator in Raleigh?
Refrigerators are among the most commonly excluded items in municipal bulky collection, and the terms differ between the towns across Wake County. Check your own town's current bulky-item page rather than assuming, and if it is excluded, $164 buys a date you choose with the carry-out included.
Do I need to empty and defrost it first?
Yes, ideally a day ahead. Empty it completely, let the freezer compartment defrost so it is not dripping through the house, and prop the door until moving day. Beyond that there is nothing to do — you do not need to disconnect a water line or move it toward the door.
Can you get one out of a second-floor apartment or a packed garage?
Yes, and neither costs extra. There is no stair charge and no walk-up fee, and working around everything else stacked in a three-car garage in Apex is part of a normal Raleigh job.
How much for a fridge and a freezer together?
A standard refrigerator at $164 plus a chest freezer at $146 is $164 + $146 = $310 on one visit. An upright freezer is $149 instead of $146, and a mini fridge is $115.