Can I throw an old fridge in my bin in Orleans?

The fridge itself is not banned from the City of Ottawa landfill outright, but it cannot arrive there the way it sits in your kitchen right now. The City's special items page says refrigerators, freezers, air conditioning units and dehumidifiers "must have cooling chemicals removed and be tagged by a certified technician prior to being brought to a landfill site. Any items that are not tagged will be refused entry."

So the question is not whether the fridge can go in the bin. It is whether the fridge will be accepted at the end of the haul. If the cooling chemicals have been removed and the unit is tagged by a certified technician before it goes in the bin, the City landfill will accept it. Without that tag, the landfill turns it away.

Beyond the City's rule, bin companies set their own lists of refused and surcharged items. Two companies charge a per-appliance fee on top of the bin price, and at least one lists refrigerant among its refused items. Neither of those is a City or provincial rule; it is a company policy. Ask for the company's refused and surcharged item list in writing before you book, and ask specifically what the appliance fee is and whether a tagged fridge is accepted.

A couple of things worth confirming with whoever quotes you: ask whether the bin price is a flat all-in rate or a bin fee plus a per-tonne disposal charge, because a fridge adds weight and that can change the final bill under the second model. Also ask how and when your card is charged.

The one question that settles it: will the company take a tagged fridge, and what is its appliance charge?