History of Samsung - Makers of Fridges Ovens and Household goods

Recycling Fridges – You and the New UK and EU Laws

On January 1st, 2002, new European Council (EC) regulations came into force requiring all domestic fridges containing ozone depleting substances (ODS) to be disposed of in an environmentally-friendly manner.

Although fridge manufacturers stopped using CFCs in 1994, they continued to use similarly environmentally-damaging HCFCs for several years after that. The ten to fifteen year average lifespan of a domestic fridge means that even today, most fridges being disposed of contain at least one kind of ODS.

How Do I Know If My Fridge Contains CFCs of HCFCs?

If you bought your fridge new, then the easiest way to determine whether your fridge contains ozone depleting substances is by its date of manufacture.

As a guide, if your fridge was made before 2000, it probably has either CFCs or HCFCs somewhere in its insulating foam or refrigerant:

· Fridges produced before 1994 used CFCs as a refrigerant (CFC R12) and as a blowing agent in the fridge's insulating foam (CFC R11).
· Fridges produced from 1994 to the late 1990s used HCFCs as a foam blowing agent (R141b, R142b or R22). HFC was used as the refrigerant (R134a).

Both CFC refrigerant (R12) and HCFC foam blowing agents need to be disposed of in an environmentally-friendly manner, and fall within the scope of these regulations.

The other way of identifying fridges with ODS in is from their appliance rating plate – a label or plate on the back of the fridge that should state what type of refrigerant is in use in the fridge. If it is either R12 or R134a, it is likely that either or both of the refrigerant and insulating foam will need disposal under EC regulation 2037/2000, which deals with ozone depleting substances.

If your fridge has been made since 2000, it is likely that there are no ozone-depleting substances in it and it can be disposed of more freely.

Can My Local Council Still Dispose of My Fridge?

The good news is that local councils are still obliged to accept domestic fridges at their civic amenity sites and at designated collection points. Most councils also offer a collection service, although there can be a fee for this.

Councils then have to take responsibility for suitably recycling and disposing of the fridges.
How Are Fridges Safely Recycled?

The actual recycling process has several stages, designed to ensure all ODS are safely removed from old fridges before their metal parts are scrapped.

This is how it works:

1. The fridge's coolant is drained and the compressor removed and also drained of coolant. The coolant, containing CFCs or HCFCs, is then disposed of according to standard procedures for each chemical.
2. The compressor is sold for re-use – once drained it is environmentally "safe".
3. The fridge is then shredded in a sealed environment. Various types of metal, together with plastic and insulating foam are the result.
4. The insulating foam is separated from the other waste, and is crushed to a powder under vacuum; a process which enables all remaining ODS to be drawn off, for recycling.
5. The scrap metal, plastic and foam powder are all separated and sold or processed for reuse.

As you can see, recycling fridges is actually a fairly efficient process, and most recycling is performed by commercial operators who are able to run profitable businesses from such activities.