ARC Member Profile: Refrigerant Reclaim Australia

Refrigerant Reclaim Australia (RRA) is the not-for-profit environment protection trust established and funded by industry to collect and safely dispose of ozone depleting substances (ODS) and synthetic greenhouse gas (SGG) refrigerants.

RRA was originally established to collect chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) refrigerants as an important component of Australia’s response to the depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer. The program was then expanded to incorporate hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFC). In early 2003, the industry representative Board of RRA decided to further broaden the scope and collect the synthetic greenhouse gases, hydrofluorocarbons (HFC).

From commencement in 1993 RRA was a voluntary program. Changes to the Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas Management Act in 2003 made it mandatory to recover and dispose safely of ODS and SGG refrigerants.

The RRA Board of Directors is made up from representatives of many industry sectors: including importers of refrigerant, both in bulk and contained in equipment, wholesalers; and contractor organisations from the refrigeration and air conditioning (RAC) and automotive sectors. This representative mix ensures RRA is able to understand the issues faced by the industry and respond accordingly.

RRA is funded by the importers of ODS and SGG refrigerants and works closely with the wholesalers and sellers of refrigerants. Any company or person with a Refrigerant Trading Authorisation is obliged to take back recovered refrigerant and ensure its safe disposal. There are more than 400 locations around Australia where recovered refrigerant can be taken. After acceptance by the wholesalers, RRA collects the contaminated and unwanted refrigerant and transports it to the destruction facility.

The Australian refrigeration and air conditioning industry has now recovered and supplied to RRA more than 5,500 tonnes of unwanted refrigerant. This has many positive environmental impacts. The hard work and contributions by contractors, technicians, and wholesalers mean that more than 10 million tonnes of stratospheric ozone has been saved from destruction, and more than 10 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent has been saved from emission.

Click here to download the RRA 2014-15 Executive Summary.

Refrigerant Reclaim Australia (RRA)
Phone: (02) 6230 5244
Email: info@refrigerantreclaim.com.au
Web: https://refrigerantreclaim.com.au

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