Ma­­na­ge­­ment and De­­struc­­ti­on of ozone de­p­­le­­ting sub­­stan­ces in ODS banks

The excessive use of ODS and HFCs has led to the accumulation of large banks, so-called “ODS and HFC Banks” globally. Their yearly emissions are be equal to that of the carbon dioxide from more than 440 coal power plants.

Map with partner countries

Partner Countries

The global IKI-project ODS Banks provides strategies and good practice approaches for a sustainable management of ODS banks and assists the partner countries to develop their national sustainable management systems for ODS contained in old cooling equipment. The focus of the project lies on the waste management of appliances containing ODS and HFCs since this is when the most significant part of the banks’ emissions are released to the atmosphere through leaking refrigerants. The reduction of emission of ODS and HFC banks, which have a very high global warming potential, can therefore significantly contribute to the achievement of partner countries’ mitigation targets and NDCs.

To support the establishment of appropriate collection, recovery and destruction procedure in the partner countries, the project assists them to in the improvement of prevailing conditions and by transferring good practices and technology for the management and destruction of ODS banks. This includes policy advisory, technology transfer and capacity building activities, such as Training of trainers and of technicians, stakeholder workshops and the development of sustainable financial mechanisms. In addition, the project developed among other guidelines on ODS bank inventories, policies, collection systems and transboundary movements of ODS waste.

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Especially the cooperation with the partner countries Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ghana, Iran and Tunisia produced several trainings on different topics, such as manual dismantling of refrigerators and air conditioners, set-up of financial scheme in the sector, and development of ODS Banks inventory are further success stories of the project. Additionally, pilot projects included the installation of degassing and reclaim units in Colombia for the proper handling of refrigerants. 

News

Na­tio­nal Plan for the Ma­nage­ment of ODS/HFC Banks in Co­lom­bia

03/2022 , Publication - Inventories & Cooling Strategies :

The Technical Ozone Unit (UTO) of the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development of Colombia and the Proklima programme of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, have prepared this document to present the strategic Action Plan for the management of ODS banks in Colombia.

The picture shows the cover of the publication (opens enlarged image)

Rising temperatures, urbanisation and economic growth have led to a growing demand for refrigeration and air conditioning (RAC) systems. This results in a rise of stocks of ozone depleting substances (ODS) and climate-damaging hydroflurocarbons (HFC). These quantities are known as the "ODS/HFC banks", a term that refers to the total amount of substances controlled by the Montreal Protocol contained in equipment, foams and other products or packaging, which have not yet been released into the atmosphere.

From these banks, quantities of these ODS (CFCs and HCFCs) and HFCs that affect the ozone layer and contribute to global warming are released into the atmosphere in a continuous and uncontrolled manner and thereby threaten our livelihoods. This represents an important challenge for Colombia which must consider the best strategies to carry out an environmentally sound management of these banks as well as to actively and articulately involve the different actors. This is how the National Plan for the management of ODS/HFC banks was formulated, which in its first phase focuses on the refrigeration and air conditioning sectors, as they are the ones with the highest consumption of these substances in the country.

The document includes a diagnosis of the current situation of the management of ODS/HFC banks and the institutional, regulatory and policy framework in force in Colombia regarding chemical substances, hazardous waste and waste of electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). It sets out the Action Plan that, in accordance with six strategic lines, defines the specific actions that will be undertaken by 2030 for the environmentally sound management of ODS/HFC banks, those responsible for their execution and the monitoring indicators.