Old, inefficient appliances are one of the largest sources of residential energy waste in the United States. They drive up household energy bills, strain the grid, and when improperly disposed of, release harmful refrigerants into the atmosphere. Atlantic City Electric's Appliance Recycling program exists to address all three problems, but the standard pickup model created friction: customers had to schedule a home visit, be available during a service window, and navigate logistics that felt like more hassle than the rebate was worth.
Drop-off recycling events flipped the model. By bringing the program directly to communities, we eliminated the scheduling barrier and turned appliance recycling into something that felt accessible and immediate. The objective was threefold: increase appliance collection volumes and program participation, reduce the environmental impact of inefficient appliances in ACE's New Jersey service territory, and demonstrate that a utility can show up in its communities as a visible, helpful neighbor, not just a name on a bill.
The drop-off events were designed as community activations that combined environmental impact with customer convenience. Each event was promoted through coordinated digital and traditional outreach: email targeting eligible customers, organic social media, and partnerships with local community organizations.
The format was engineered for simplicity. Customers drove to a designated location, dropped off their eligible appliance, received immediate rebate confirmation, and left. No scheduling windows. No waiting for a truck. No phone trees. That simplicity was the strategic insight: in a category full of friction, removing every unnecessary step is itself an innovation.
Paid social ran in both general-market and Hispanic-targeted creative, extending reach into underserved communities. Email A/B testing revealed that incentive-driven CTA copy ("Get $50") significantly outperformed program-language CTAs ("Preregister Now"), a finding that reshaped messaging for the second event. Community outreach targeted organizations within a 30-mile radius, with two outreach waves generating earned media including a Saturday broadcast mention and placements through Cape May Community Outreach, Gloucester County Chamber of Commerce, and United Way of Gloucester County.
On-site, the events served a dual purpose. Staff processed appliance drop-offs while educating visitors about other ACE energy efficiency programs. Every event became a touchpoint for broader program awareness, turning a single transaction into a conversation about long-term energy savings. The environmental dimension was foregrounded throughout: this was about keeping refrigerants out of landfills, reducing carbon emissions from inefficient equipment, and making it as easy as possible for residents to do the right thing.
Across two drop-off events in May and June 2026, 354 customers brought in 694 appliances for recycling: 566 room air conditioners and 128 dehumidifiers. The June event alone collected 425 units, setting a new program record.
Each unit earned the customer a $50 rebate, putting $34,700 back into the pockets of New Jersey families while removing nearly 700 inefficient, refrigerant-containing appliances from the waste stream. Every unit recycled means harmful refrigerants captured instead of released, and energy-hungry equipment replaced with nothing or something better.
The multi-channel promotional strategy proved its value. Paid social drove 412,694 impressions and approximately 13,000 clicks, with Hispanic-targeted creative achieving a 5.74% CTR in June. A retarget email hit a 90.5% open rate. Community outreach earned a Saturday broadcast mention and organic placements through local partners including United Way of Gloucester County.
The second event nearly doubled the first in both participation (212 vs. 142 customers) and units collected (425 vs. 269), proving that the refined marketing approach compounded results in real time.
Two events. 354 families. 694 appliances out of homes and off the grid. That is measurable environmental impact delivered at the community level.