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European Council Regulation Nr: 2037/2000 dealing with Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) came into effect on October 1st. 2000, becoming part of UK law on January 1st. 2002.
It requires the removal and destruction or recycling of ozone depleting substances from freezers, refrigerators and any equipment using refrigerant systems or urethane insulating foam at the end of their life before they are scrapped. It is actually the blowing agent used to force the urethane foam into insulated panels which is the main ODS. It must not be forgotten that equipment that is insulated to retain heat, such as shaking incubators, is just as big a problem as freezers and refrigerators.
The law states that: "The owner of the freezer or equipment must take all reasonable steps to keep ODS from entering the atmosphere, and furthermore to ensure that whoever collects the item is authorized to store, transport, recycle and dispose of it safely." The substances in question are the refrigerant gases in the system and the urethane insulating foam.
What you need to do: ensure that the freezer is free from any infectious contamination or chemical hazard. Contact us. Issue the crew with a copy of the decon certificate, and obtain a collection note from them describing the equipment and recording any serial numbers. We will be pleased to supply a copy of our
Waste Carrier's Licence. To comply with the regulations you must only use a carrier with this licence.
The smaller –20 freezers and +4 refrigerators are not a big problem. The fragmentation plants charge between £50 to £70 to dispose of each unit, and we have to make a small transport charge. The large -80° freezers are more difficult. The UK fragmentation contractor stipulates the maximum dimensions they can handle, and that does sometimes involve us in stripping the freezer down. Because of the damage that the heavier metals contained in these large commercial freezers can do to the cutting equipment in their plant, they charge up to £800 per tonne for disposal. With –80 degree freezers frequently weighing in excess of 300 kgs. this can lead to a disposal charge in excess of £400 per unit with transport charges.
HRH is working with authorized disposal contractors in Germany, The Netherlands and Belgium. By consolidating freezers into large trailer loads, it is possible to take advantage of the much lower prices charged by the European contractors without paying a penalty for the long distance haulage. Depending on access at your site, we can usually remove a –80 degree freezer, and have it legally disposed of with an officially recognized audit trail to prove legal destruction, for a price between £200 and £300.
We are optimistic new plants coming into use in the UK, and the rapid reduction of the "fridge mountain", will lead to more competitive prices in the near future.
Next page: The
"WEEE" Directive
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