For a long time to come, the complete recovery of CFCs will remain the characteristic requirement of all environmentally benign demanufacturing processes for end-of-life refrigerator and freezer appliances.

If one assumes an average appliance lifetime of at least 15 years and a maximum service life of 30 years (re-use of appliances in house bars, weekend cottages, etc.) and recalls that it was 1994 before the use of CFCs was effectively banned in the manufacture of refrigerators and freezers, it is clear that current forms of appliance recycling will need to continue until well past the year 2020.

The situation is shown clearly in this diagram which is available in downloadable pdf format.