There is no room for compromises when it comes to protecting the environment. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are the primary 'climate killers'. These chemicals play a key part in the destruction of the ozone layer that surrounds our planet and which protects earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation.
Up until 1993, CFCs found extremely widespread use as refrigerants in refrigerators and freezers. In Germany alone, there are estimated to be some 47 million appliances containing around 23.4 billion grams of CFCs. Even when an appliance is no longer in use, the CFCs it contains remain a potential threat to the environment and must therefore be prevented from escaping into the atmosphere. Depending upon the size and type of appliance, a refrigerator or freezer at the end of its service life may contain:
- 70 - 300 g CFC (R 12) in the cooling circuit
- 250 - 800 g CFC (R 11) in the polyurethane foam insulation
Every gram of CFC lost during the post-consumer processing of refrigerator and freezer appliances is an environmental cost we simply cannot afford. The major task of any refrigerator and freezer recycling system is therefore to recover as much as possible of the CFCs and then to destroy these hazardous substances in a safe and secure manner.
Numerous institutions, publications and regulations have addressed this problem. On the following pages, SEG has provided a summary of the most important publications and sources of information on this subject: