§ Viscount Hanworthasked Her Majesty's Government:
What proportion of CFC gas emissions are likely to come from scrapped domestic refrigerators, compared with the proportion from other sources, and whether the collection of such gases would lead to an important reduction in the amount of CFCs in the atmosphere.
The Earl of CaithnessCFCs used in domestic appliances constitute some 3.6 per cent. of CFC 11 and 12 consumption in the European Community —0.75 per cent. as refrigerant and 2.9 per cent. as insulation. (Source:International Journal of Refrigeration, July 1988). Both UK CFC manufacturers offer a recycling service for used refrigerants and at least one retailer of domestic refrigerators and freezers has agreed to remove old appliances free of charge and to extract the refrigerant for recycling.