Is trashing the fridge eco-friendly?

A small but growing number of eco-conscious Americans are choosing to go fridge-free.

Although the carbon savings of ditching a single fridge aren’t huge, those taking the action believe that the combined number of fridges across the world have a significant and unnecessary environmental impact.

Rachel Muston has lived without a fridge for the past two years.

“It seems wasteful to me to use even an Energy Star-rated fridge,” she told the New York Times, “because I’m getting along fine without one.”

Refrigerators are one of the lowest energy users in a household.

Worst for the environment is heating, followed by lighting, then appliances such as dishwashers, washing machines, tumble dryers, computers, and televisions - all of which consume more energy than a fridge.

Because of this, some environmentalists argue that chucking out the fridge should be the last consideration of those striving for eco-friendliness.

No fridge means more trips to the supermarket - okay if within walking distant, but not great if you have to drive.

In addition, you can only prepare what you’ll eat that day, otherwise the leftovers will be wasted.

However, ‘fridge lust’ is one of the main reasons energy consumption is increasing in the majority world.

Blogger Greenpa writes: “Refrigerator lust is one of the things driving huge energy-use increases in the developing world.

“A great deal of what’s in your fridge absolutely does not need to be there.”