Replacing Your Fridge? Getting the Old One Out in Sydney
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When you're replacing a fridge, the old one is the item nobody plans for. The new one arrives on a schedule, and in a kitchen renovation every other job has someone assigned to it. But the old fridge — still working, still full, too heavy to move alone — ends up in the hallway, then the garage, then still there four months later. Sorting it out is a ten-minute decision that saves weeks of stepping around it.
Why the fridge falls through the cracks
Everything else in a kitchen renovation has an owner. The cabinetry and benchtops are the builder's job. The plumber and sparky handle their own bits. The appliance retailer delivers the new fridge.
The old fridge belongs to nobody. It's an appliance, not part of the building work, so it isn't in the builder's scope. It still works, so it feels wasteful to deal with decisively. And it's the only appliance that has to keep running right up until the moment the new one is plugged in — you can live without an oven for three weeks, but not a fridge.
So it gets moved to the hallway when the work starts, and it stays wherever it lands. Even a straight swap with no renovation goes the same way: the new fridge goes in, and the old one gets wheeled into the garage "for now".
The timing decision
There are really only three sensible sequences, and which one you want depends on whether you're keeping a working fridge running until the new one arrives.
Option A: Old fridge keeps running, removed on delivery day
Keep it plugged in and live out of it — if the kitchen is being renovated, move it to the garage or a spare room first. Book the removal for the day the new fridge is delivered and installed. The gap is a few hours, not weeks.
Best when: the old fridge still works and you have somewhere to put it with a power point. This is the right answer for most fridge replacements.
Option B: Removed early, temporary fridge in the meantime
If the old unit is dying anyway, get it out now and run a bar fridge or borrowed unit until the new one arrives.
Best when: the old fridge is on its last legs, or space is genuinely tight.
Option C: Removed when the work starts, new fridge already ordered
Only works if the new appliance is confirmed to arrive that week. Appliance lead times slip constantly, so don't rely on this unless the delivery is locked in.
Book removal for delivery day, not "sometime after"
This is the single most useful piece of advice in this article. The moment the new fridge is in and cold, the old one becomes invisible — it stops being urgent and starts being furniture. Book its collection for the same day, or the day after, while it's still front of mind.
We collect from the kerbside within 24–48 hours across Sydney, Monday to Friday, 6am–4pm. You don't need to be home if the fridge is outside at the agreed kerbside collection point before pickup, so plan that around your appliance delivery slot.
What about the retailer taking it away?
Some appliance retailers will remove the old unit when they deliver the new one. Worth asking, with three caveats:
- It usually costs extra, and often isn't much cheaper than a dedicated pickup
- The old fridge must be emptied, defrosted and disconnected before they arrive — delivery drivers won't wait, and won't take a wet one
- It only covers a like-for-like swap. A second fridge, a bar fridge, or a chest freezer in the garage isn't included
If the retailer option works for you, take it. If it doesn't, or you've got more than one unit going, book it separately.
What it costs
$80 for a small–medium fridge or freezer, $150 for a large one. No call-out fee, no fuel levy. If the renovation also frees up a mattress from a guest room being repurposed, that's $80 flat. An old TV coming out of the same job is from $80 ($150 for a large TV), and other electronics are $80 flat per load.
What we don't take
Being direct so you don't book the wrong thing: from the kitchen, we take fridges and freezers only. Not the old oven, cooktop, rangehood, dishwasher, sink or cabinetry, and nothing from the building work itself. Those are for your builder or installer, or your council's process. We're the specialist for refrigeration — which needs licensed degassing before the metal can be recycled — not a renovation service.
Preparing the fridge
- Empty it the night before
- Defrost the freezer and mop up — a wet fridge leaks across your floors on the way out, which is a bad look on new flooring
- Unplug it and coil the cord
- Leave the doors on — unlike a council collection, we don't need them removed
- Arrange for the fridge to be safely placed outside at the kerbside before pickup; our team does not carry items from inside homes, on stairs or from apartments
Frequently asked questions
Can you collect on a specific day to match my delivery?
Yes, Monday to Friday, 6am–4pm, subject to availability — tell us the date when you book. Same-day is often possible if you book early.
Will you take it if it still works?
Yes. Most fridges we collect still run.
What if the house is mid-renovation?
Fine, just tell us. We collect the fridge (and anything else you've booked), not building materials. Arrange for the items to be safely placed outside at the kerbside before pickup and tell us where the truck can stop.
Can you take two — the kitchen fridge and the garage one?
Yes — priced per unit ($80 small–medium, $150 large), same trip. Renovations are the most common time people finally deal with the second fridge. Here's what that one's been costing you.