Contact your city/town hall, municipal public works office, municipal waste management or local sanitary commission to find out what the specific recycling policies for chest freezers and other "white goods" are for your region. In some areas, the municipality will arrange for a free pickup/recycling service, whereas others will charge a fee. In some cases, you may be required to make an appointment with a refrigerant recovery technician.
Call the Appliance Recycling Information Center, toll-free across the United States, at 800-YES-1-CAN, if you are not able to get the proper information from your municipality.
Join a Freecycle Network if your chest freezer is still working and you want to advertise the opportunity for someone to reuse your appliance for free.
Donate your chest freezer, if it is still in good working condition, to a community organization, such as a soup kitchen, breakfast club or shelter.