Vol. 548 No. 5
341 Mr. Dennehy asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if he is satisfied that adequate measures are in place to allow for the safe disposal of house refrigerators; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5810/02]
Regulation EC 2037/2000 requires the recovery and destruction of ozone depleting substances contained in domestic refrigerators and freezers from 1 January 2002. In addition, European Commission Decision 2000/532/EC revised the EU list of hazardous waste to include, with effect from 1 January 2002, equipment which contains CFCs. These changes affect the disposal of fridges and freezers manufactured before 1994, which contain CFCs in fridge coolant as well as in the insulating foam. While technology is available in Ireland for the removal of CFCs from the coolants in fridges and freezers, no equipment is yet available for the removal of the insulating foam. The effect of these two instruments is that, with effect from 1 January 2002, fridges and freezers cannot be dealt with by the traditional method of degassing, recovering the metal and sending the remaining waste to landfill.
I understand that in the absence of treatment facilities in Ireland – a problem also being experienced in other EU member states – a number of local authorities have made arrangements for the storage of fridges and freezers. In the meantime, the issue is being examined as a matter of urgency in my Department with a view to finding a long-term solution at an early date.
