Tossing an old appliance? Recycling program back for some N.J. utility customers.

After a nine-month hiatus, two New Jersey utilities have restarted their appliance recycling programs.

JCP&L told customers in an email this week they could get a $50 credit on their electric bill if they recycle their refrigerator or freezer. It confirmed the program is back.

“We are excited to relaunch this program with a new third-party administrator and give our customers the opportunity to save energy and put some money in their pocket in the process,” spokesman Christopher Hoenig said.

Atlantic City Electric, which has 572,000 customers, also said its program is back on.

The suspension of the programs, which had recycled tens of thousands of appliances over the past several years, came last summer when the contractor used by the state’s utilities to pick up the recycled items from homeowners suddenly stopped operating.

ARCA Recycling, the Minnesota-based company that did the pickups in New Jersey and for recycling programs in several other states including New York, Ohio and Massachusetts, could not be reached for comment.

Not everyone in New Jersey has a chance to participate in the program.

PSE&G, which has 2.3 million electric customers in the state, said its program is still suspended.

“We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your patience as we evaluate a relaunch of the recycling program in 2024,” spokeswoman Rebecca Mazzarella said.

Rockland Electric, which serves about 73,000 customers along the state’s border with New York, said on its website that its program is still on pause. It did not immediately respond to inquiries.

When the program ended without warning last summer, utilities cautioned consumers who may have received rebate checks from ARCA not to deposit them. Instead, they said they would reimburse customers who were charged a bank fee for attempting to cash an invalid rebate check and pay any owed rebate amounts.

It was not immediately known how many customers had to be paid back by the utilities.

While recycling data was not immediately available from JCP&L, PSE&G said 7,893 residents recycled nearly 11,000 appliances as part of its program in 2022.

The responsibility of the program was transferred in 2021 from the state Board of Public Utilities (BPU) to the utilities themselves. BPU did not immediately respond to questions about the program.

Gov. Phil Murphy, who has supported energy efficiency programs, did not respond to requests for comment.

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Karin Price Mueller may be reached at KPriceMueller@NJAdvanceMedia.com. Follow her on X at @KPMueller.