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Auto firm fined €3,500 for F-gas breach

CZECH REPUBLIC: An auto dismantling company has been fined CZK90,000 (€3,500) for failing to fully recover R134a from car air conditioning systems.

The Czech Environmental Inspectorate (ČIŽP) discovered breaches of the European F-gas regulations at Carmel Auto CZ, sro. The company carries out the dismantling of new Hyundai Tuscon at its facility in Ostrava-Radvanice. The individual parts are repackaged for sale abroad. As part of the dismantling of each vehicle, the R134a was also recovered for sale.

According to the CEI Regional Inspectorate in Ostrava, the company did not fully recover the R134a from the air conditioning units. The total amount of refrigerant not recovered in accordance with the current legislation, was said to be more than 900kg.

The company is also said to have failed to secure the recovery of the refrigerant by a person with the required certificate.

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