EIA calls for global ban on disposables

UK: The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) has called for a worldwide ban on disposable, non-refillable refrigerant cylinders.

In a new report published on the eve of the 30th Montreal Protocol meeting in Ecuador, the EIA has called for a worldwide ban on non-refillable cylinders – the container of choice for refrigerant smugglers.

The report – Tip of the Iceberg: Implications of Illegal CFC Production and Use – cites the illegal trade in HFCs in Europe, where they are, supposedly, banned, as well as continued ODS illegal trade worldwide.

“The vast majority of known ODS smuggling cases are facilitated by the use of disposable cylinders (sometimes referred to a “non-refillable containers”), as their disposable nature means they can be freely traded,” the report states.

In addition to the ban in the EU, which entered into force in 2007, these cylinders are also banned in Canada, India and Australia. “However, disposable refrigerant cylinders are still in wide use elsewhere in the world and the European market has recently been flooded with illegal HFCs in disposable cylinders,” says the EIA.

Aside from the additional waste management issues that disposable cylinders create, the EIA points out that there is always a residual quantity of refrigerant, or “heel”, being emitted to the atmosphere as they must be cut or punctured before entering the waste stream.

If the cylinders do not enter the formal waste stream the heel remains until the container degrades and is ultimately released. The EIA quotes the 2010 RTOC assessment that the vapour heel represents about 3% of refrigerant charge, and the liquid heel represents between 5 and 8%.

Instances of the illegal trade in disposable cylinders in Europe has been widely reported by the Cooling Post in recent months. This heightened activity, which the European governments and customs authorities seem unable to stop, has been brought on by huge increases in HFC prices, and pressures on supply, as a result of the European F-gas phase down. There are genuine fears that unless lessons are learned from the European experience, the worldwide phase down, which kicks in next year under the Kigali Amendment, will create illegal activity on a massive scale.

Related stories:

End this F-gas farce – 9 September 2018
EUROPE: The supposedly ground-breaking European F-gas regulations have become a farce, with the authorities seemingly unwilling or unable to stem sales of illegal refrigerant. Read more…

Dutch warn on illegal refrigerant – 10 October 2018
NETHERLANDS: Refrigerant businesses in the Netherlands have joined the condemnation of the widespread abuse of the F-gas regulations through “alternative” sales outlets. Read more…

Banned R22 openly sold in disposables – 7 September 2018
POLAND: The Cooling Post has found that illegal ozone-depleting R22 refrigerant is being openly sold in illegal disposable cylinders in Poland under the very noses of the authorities. Read more…

Poland swamped by illegal refrigerant
POLAND: The Cooling Post has found that illegal ozone-depleting R22 refrigerant is being openly sold in illegal disposable cylinders in Poland under the very noses of the authorities. Read more…

Illegal refrigerant costs Greece €20m – 23 July 2018
GREECE: The Greek air conditioning and refrigeration industry has accused EU member state Bulgaria as being a gateway for illegal refrigerant from Albania, Macedonia and Turkey. Read more…

Cantas “shock” at illegal imports – 13 July 2018
TURKEY: Istanbul-based refrigerant supplier Cantas has reacted with shock to learn that its refrigerant is being imported into the UK in illegal non-refillable cylinders. Read more…

Government rejects F-gas concerns – 10 July 2018
UK: The UK government insists it will maintain the HFC phase down post-Brexit but has ignored claims that the Environment Agency does not have the adequate resources to tackle compliance. Read more…

UK failing to enforce F-gas regulations – 25 April 2018
UK: The Environmental Audit Committee has expressed concern that the Environment Agency is under-resourced and failing to adequately investigate “large levels of non-compliance” with the F-gas regulations. Read more…

UK a hub for illegal refrigerant sales – 23 March 2018
UK: There are concerns that the UK has become a centre for sales of refrigerant in illegal disposable cylinders, a container which has been banned from use in Europe for over 10 years. Read more…

Phase down sparks rise in illegal sales – 21 March 2018
EUROPE: With the F-gas regulations beginning to bite and higher GWP refrigerants becoming expensive and scarce, evidence of illegal imports and sales is increasing. Read more…