How should equipment containing HCFC refrigerants be disposed of?
Under the Section 608 regulations, the refrigerant contained in the equipment must be disposed of safely. EPA developed Safe Disposal Requirements that must be followed. Equipment that is typically disassembled on-site before disposal has to have the refrigerant recovered in accordance with EPA’s requirements for servicing. For equipment that typically enters the waste stream with the charge intact (e.g., household refrigerators and freezers, room air conditioners), the final person in the disposal chain (e.g., a scrap metal recycler or landfill owner) must make sure that the refrigerant is recovered from the equipment before its final disposal. However, persons earlier in the chain can remove the refrigerant and provide documentation of its removal to the final person.
Under the Section 608 regulations, the refrigerant contained in the equipment must be disposed of safely. EPA developed Safe Disposal Requirements that must be followed. Equipment that is typically disassembled on-site before disposal has to have the refrigerant recovered in accordance with EPA’s requirements for servicing. For equipment that typically enters the waste stream with the charge intact (e.g., household refrigerators and freezers, room air conditioners), the final person in the disposal chain (e.g., a scrap metal recycler or landfill owner) must make sure that the refrigerant is recovered from the equipment before its final disposal. However, persons earlier in the chain can remove the refrigerant and provide documentation of its removal to the final person. EPA has a voluntary partnership program, Responsible Appliance Disposal (RAD), where partners use best practices to recover refrigerants, foam blowing agents, plastics, glass, mercury, and PCBs properly.
