ARCA Press Release

ApplianceSmart Factory Outlet Announces Plans to Open in Cumming, Georgia
Seventh ApplianceSmart in Atlanta Market and Twenty-First Outlet Nationally
April 29, 2009
Minneapolis, MN

Appliance Recycling Centers of America, Inc. (NASDAQ: ARCI) today announced that it will open a 27,900-square-foot ApplianceSmart Factory Outlet in Cumming, Georgia, in August 2009 to serve the northeast suburbs of the Atlanta metropolitan area.

Located at 1250 Market Place Blvd., the outlet is part of the Cumming MarketPlace, a 652,500-square-foot shopping center that includes a variety of national retailers. The new factory outlet will be ApplianceSmart’s seventh location in the Atlanta market and twenty-first outlet nationally. The six current Atlanta outlets are located in Norcross, Smyrna, Lithia Springs, Stockbridge, Marietta and Conyers.

Like all ApplianceSmart Factory Outlets, this new location will carry a wide range of special-buy major household appliance brands, including Whirlpool, Maytag, GE, Frigidaire, Jenn-Air, Amana, Bosch and KitchenAid. Special-buy appliances, which ApplianceSmart sells at a significant discount to retail, include new in-the-box closeouts, factory overruns, discontinued models and thousands of discounted out-of-box items.

Edward R. (Jack) Cameron, President and Chief Executive Officer, commented: “We have developed a very strong brand in the greater Atlanta metropolitan area, and our strategy is to continue to back-fill our stores in various parts of the market. Our newest ApplianceSmart Factory Outlet is in a great location with excellent visibility and heavy drive-by traffic. Similar to other factory outlets we have opened in Atlanta, this new store will increase our market penetration and leverage greater economies of scale in our overall advertising spend and overhead expenses for the market.”

About ARCA

ARCA (www.arcainc.com) is one of the nation’s largest recyclers of major household appliances for the energy conservation programs of electric utilities. Through its ApplianceSmart operation (www.appliancesmart.com), ARCA is also one of the nation’s leading retailers of special-buy household appliances, primarily those manufactured by Maytag, GE, Frigidaire and Whirlpool. These special-buy appliances, which include close-outs, factory overruns and scratch-and-dent units, typically are not integrated into manufacturers’ normal distribution channels. ApplianceSmart sells these virtually new appliances at a discount to full retail, offers a 100% money-back guarantee and provides warranties on parts and labor. As of April 2009, ApplianceSmart was operating twenty factory outlets nationally: seven in the Minneapolis/St. Paul market; four in the Columbus, Ohio, market; six in the Atlanta market; and three in San Antonio, Texas. The signing of the lease for Cumming, Ga., will bring the total count of ApplianceSmart stores to twenty-one.

This press release contains statements that are forward-looking statements as defined within the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the statements made, including the risks associated with general economic conditions, competition in the retail and recycling industries and regulatory risks. Other factors that could cause operating and financial results to differ are described in ARCA’s periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Other risks may be detailed from time to time in reports to be filed with the SEC.

For Additional Information Contact:                            Edward R. (Jack) Cameron, CEO or
                                                                               Peter Hausback, EVP and CFO
                                                                               (952) 930-9000