World Environment Day
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World Environment Day is June 5th! On this day it’s important to take a look at how we can help save our environment and preserve it for future generations.
The Major Appliance Recycling Roundtable (MARR) exists to help people like us dispose and recycle our appliances in a way that does not harm our environment. Listen to the interview below with Michael Zarbl, Executive Director at MARR, to learn more about recycling your large appliances.
Many large appliances used for cooling and refrigeration – like fridges, freezers, and air conditioners – use chemical refrigerants that as a group are classified as ozone-depleting substances (ODS). These chemicals are harmful to the environment so it’s important they’re handled and disposed of carefully by licensed professional
In addition to Ozone Depleting gasses other refrigerants are greenhouse gasses. The home appliance industry is has been transitioning away from very high global warming potential (GWP) hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants (AKA greenhouse gasses) in refrigerators and freezers, room air conditioners, portable air conditioners and dehumidifiers. The appliance industry will phase out the use of HFCs in full size refrigerators and freezers by 2022 but there still generations of units in use today.
Global warming potential (GWP) is measured as compared to carbon dioxide (GWP value = 1) and a common refrigerant used called R134a has a GWP of between 1300 and 1400
The message here is that pretty much any cooling appliance you replace has either ODS or greenhouse gasses and both are very harmful to the environment and need to be handled by professionals.
All technicians that extract these gasses are licensed professionals.
