News Flash

Carbon Collectors Refrigerant Recovery are proud to announce that they recently commenced operations in South East QLD at 2 major Waste Transfer Stations on the Gold Coast, in conjunction with the successful tenderer for the Gold Coast City Council waste recycling program.

Over a 4 day period, 190 refrigerated end-of-life appliances were checked and out of that amount 132 had the refrigerant charge recovered for a total of 21 Kilograms recovered refrigerant. That’s not much you may say but “Every Little Bit Counts” and it’s not a bad start, giving a true indication of the potential to removes tonnes of this refrigerant gas from our atmosphere, right now and into the future.

Jon Morgan, the Managing Director of Carbon Collectors P/L Refrigerant Recovery reported it was pleasing that most of the end-of-life appliances they checked still had the refrigerant charge inside, allowing it to be recovered, however we can all do better when handling and transporting these appliances to ensure that the refrigerant gas can be recovered safely and effectively before they are crushed and recycled.
“The common refrigerants were recovered, with CFC R12, one of the most damaging gases for our Ozone Layer featuring prominently amongst the old “beer” fridges which have been discarded first, to the shed and then to the tip. The fact they are rarely moved from their resting places means that the refrigerant is likely still present in the system when they are thrown out. We recovered 7.4Kg of CFC R12, 5.5Kg of HFC R134a and 8.2Kg of HCFC R22, which is normally found in older box type or split airconditioning systems, a pleasing and lasting result for the environment.”
If you are not sure what type of refrigerant is in your old fridge or freezer and you would like to identify it before moving it, there is normally a sticker on the back of the fridge indicating the refrigerant type. If it contains CFC R12 it would normally have a Yellow Sticker as in the photo below and you should definitely arrange to have the refrigerant recovered before transporting and disposing of the appliance.
If it contains HFC R134a refrigerant then it would also have an indicating sticker located on the compressor or the rear of the appliance, it can also be found on the identification plate inside the appliance. HFC R134a is a Synthetic Greenhouse Gas which is known to contribute to Global Warming. Every kilogram of R134a refrigerant released to the atmosphere has the potential to expand to 2 tonnes of CO2 ,and the average charge in an appliance would be approx 200 grams.

HC R600a is a Hydrocarbon and therefore classified as a flammable refrigerant. It has been widely use and available to the public for a few years now and is most commonly found in smaller bar fridges sold through the retailers. Hydrocarbon is classed as a Natural Refrigerant,  being a refined by-product of LPG, which has a Zero ODP and Zero GWP rating and therefore it is not subject to the laws that apply to Flourinated Refrigerants, which means that it is not essential that it be recovered. Care must be taken when handling and transporting these appliances to ensure there is no accidental release which may in turn cause an explosive atmosphere around the handlers. Any type of ignition source could ignite this refrigerant, particularly in a confined space.

If you are not sure what is in your appliance and would like to do the right thing before discarding it to waste, Carbon Collectors Refrigerant Recovery can arrange to attend your premises, identify the refrigerant and safely recover it, or even better we can remove the whole appliance if you prefer not to handle and transport it yourself, which most people don’t!
“We are excited at the prospects which lay ahead in regards to refrigerant recovery from end-of –life equipment, the aim is to Educate and Enable the Public, Businesses, Government, Corporations all around Australia to stress the importance that ‘Every Little Bit Counts’ when considering disposal of your end-of-life refrigerated equipment, our aim is to have Carbon Collectors Refrigerant Recovery Licencees established all around this big country of ours, enabling affordable and accessible refrigerant recovery for everyone that wants to do their bit.