All publications

Gui­de­li­ne: Ma­nage­ment and De­struc­tion of Exis­ting Ozone De­p­le­ting Sub­stan­ces Banks (EN / ES / RS)

09/2017 , Publication - Technical Publication :

Guideline on the Manual Dismantling of Refrigerators and Air Conditioners

(opens enlarged image)

The Montreal Protocol on substances that deplete the ozone layer (ODS) has been effectively regulating the production and consumption of ODS since 1989. However, large banks of ODS have accumulated globally dueto the excessive historical use of these substances. ODS are continuously being released to the atmosphere from these banks –damaging the ozone layer and contributing to global warming. It is important to note that these banks are not regulated under the Montreal Protocol. Adequate collection, recovery and destruction of ODS banks represent a challenge for developing countries.

Various programmes and projects that were promoted and financed by the Montreal Protocol, aiming at the reduction and elimination of ODS, resulted in the voluntary conversion to technologies free of these substances by large companies. This, together with import and trade controls of ODS, has ultimately contributed to an increase in waste stocks and equipment which contain ODS and now require final disposal.

The global project ‘Management and Destruction of ODS Banks’ supports the integrated waste management of ODS and equipment containing ODS. This project is commissioned by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) as part of its International Climate Initiative (IKI) and being implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. This guideline was developed as part of the ODS Banks project in close cooperation with Technical Ozone Unit of the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development of Colombia, with the aim of providing basic technical knowledge on the disposal of refrigeration and air conditioning appliances.