Industry News

HIT THE GAS!

Fridgies are racing to take advantage of Refrigerant Reclaim Australia’s new rebate rates for recovered refrigerant this year. We talk to managing director Kylie Farrelley about the new Gas Seeker Initiative.

QUICK QUIZ.

Did you know that it’s a legal requirement to recover, return and safely dispose of ozone depleting and synthetic greenhouse gas refrigerants, and that by doing this you are helping protect the environment?

Even better, did you know that you can get money back by taking your recovered refrigerant to your local wholesaler? And, finally, did you know the amount of money you get for refrigerant has been tripled this year? That’s right, Refrigerant Reclaim Australia (RRA) is increasing the rebate for recovered refrigerant rebate to $10 per/kg as part of its Gas Seeker Initiative.

RIGHT PLACE, RIGHT TIME

RRA is a not-for-profit organisation created to work nationally with industry to share the responsibility for, and costs of, recovering, reclaiming and destroying surplus and unwanted refrigerants. Since 1993, it has recovered more than 7,000 tonnes of refrigerant. More than 6,700 tonnes (91 per cent) of the refrigerant has also been safely destroyed. It’s an impressive record, but RRA is looking for ways to go even further, and managing director Kylie Farrelley says it was case of perfect timing for this new initiative. “It’s something we’ve been considering for some time,” says Farrelley. “The levy hadn’t changed for many years, and we want to see if there was more gas out there we could be getting. “Last year was such a challenging year, so now is a really good time to give back to the industry. And we thought if we’re going to do it, let’s go hard – we’ll triple the rebate. It’s all about shaking things up a bit, to see how effective our program can really be.”

The initiative has just started, so there are no numbers yet on how much extra refrigerant is being handed in, but Farrelley says there have been some positive early signs. Call volumes are up, with contractors wanting to know how the scheme works, and wholesalers have also been requesting more empty cylinders.

A BURNING ISSUE

As well as helping the environment, collecting the gases provides important data about the mix of refrigerants in use in Australia. And Farrelley says that in recent years there has been a marked increase in the flammability mix of refrigerants returned for destruction.

“We’ve been analysing these products for a very long time, and certainly what we’re seeing is a growth in flammable components,” says Farrelley. “I expect the way the industry handles recovered refrigerant will need to change, because we’re starting to reach that tipping point where mixtures of recovered refrigerant could be flammable really soon.” There are a number of possible reasons for this. One is that some refrigerants like R410A are not flammable by themselves, but can become flammable when mixed with other products, such as R32. It could also be because different components of some refrigerants may leak at different rates – known as preferential leakage. Farrelley says more data and more analysis is required to know exactly what is behind this increase, but RRA is already preparing for the change. It is upgrading its two refrigerant destruction facilities, and will also ensure that wholesalers can provide both non-flammable and a flammable recovery cylinders. Farrelley expects the use of refrigerant analysers will be key in ensuring a safe transition to flammable refrigerants.

RRA managing director Kylie Farrelley

GET IN QUICK!

“We’re encouraging everyone to make the most of the Gas Seeker Initiative while you can, as it will only be available for a limited time,” says Farrelley. The new rebates kicked in on January 1 and finish on June 30, so don’t miss out! If you’ve been holding on to old recovered refrigerant, now is the time to cash in.

And next time you’re decommissioning a unit, remember that you can help protect the environment and make some money at the same time! ■

For more information about the Gas Seeker Initiative, go to refrigerantreclaim.com.au or ask your local wholesaler.