While in Washington D.C. we drove past a number of garbage dumps. This particular one can be seen from the highway. The picture to the left is a pile of old refrigerators. While it does seem that the pile is growing, because of the crane positioned above it, there seems to be no effort to try and recycle the scrap metal. Also, it appears as if their is no liner underneath the pile to stop possible hazardous chemicals from leaking from the fridges into the ground. The blue building below is the recycling center at the same dump. The doors were open once when we drove by, which revealed a large sorting room for paper, plastics, and compost. I would consider this site a local dump that processes local garbage before sending it else where.
Old refrigerators and other appliances are definitely recycled, primarily because they contain good amounts of high-quality metals. They're referred to as "white goods" in the waste industry, and many landfills and transfer stations have special areas for collecting them and sending them on to recyclers.
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