§ Mr. PikeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what measures have been implemented with regard to the conservation and reclamation of refrigerants; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. AtkinsThe EC Environment Council adopted in December a new EC regulation on ozone-depleting substances. This requires refrigerants contained in commercial and industrial refrigeration equipment and air conditioning equipment to be recovered if practicable for recycling, reclamation or destruction during service and maintenance of the equipment as well as before equipment dismantling or disposal. It also requires that all precautionary measures practicable are taken to prevent the leakage of ozone-depleting refrigerant from this equipment. This regulation is directly applicable in UK law.
In 1994 the refrigerant users group was set up, with Government support, by a number of refrigerant users and suppliers. The RUG was the first refrigerant bank in Europe. Its main aim is to ensure that the increasingly scarce supply of chlorofluorocarbon refrigerants is conserved through recovery and efficient reuse within the UK.