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though not currently eligible, might eventually become eligible for carbon credits post-2030, and this could provide further financial incentives for recovery and reclamation efforts.
Labacher encourages participants to think about their country’ s infrastructure for refrigerant recovery and outlined the concept of a‘ Centre of Excellence’. He explains that establishing recovery networks requires cooperation with e-waste companies, wholesalers and training centres. For instance, in South Africa, they have partnered with e-waste companies which repurpose old refrigerant cylinders into useful items like cookers or planters. These partnerships not only facilitate refrigerant recovery but also create additional jobs and economic value. Labacher suggests that such models could be replicated in other countries, including Kenya, where they are working to establish bulking-up facilities and recovery centres.
On the technical side, Labacher stresses the importance of using reclaim machines correctly, noting that these machines require additional refrigerants to bring recovered substances back into spec. He suggests that rather than countries purchasing reclaim machines from the MLF, they could explore borrowing machines from South Africa to test their functionality before committing to a purchase, thereby avoiding wasteful expenditure.
Looking forward, Labacher describes how A-Gas has been expanding its refrigerant recovery efforts throughout Africa.“ A-Gas has made considerable progress in SADC in the past year. We have expanded our recovery cylinder network with an additional 1 000 cylinders set to be deployed by the first quarter of 2025 and introduced two additional rapid recovery vehicles and technicians to increase capacity to handle large-scale recovery projects. We have, for instance, deployed a rapid recovery vehicle to recover seven tons of R-22 in Mauritius with the assistance of GIZ. This demonstrates we are willing to offer cross-border assistance to countries that need support with large refrigerant recovery operations,” he says.
Labacher also raises the issue of disposable cylinders and their potential environmental impact.“ In South Africa, the discussion has been ongoing about the future of these cylinders, especially given the challenge of ensuring they do not release harmful gases into the atmosphere. I propose one idea of introducing a deposit scheme for disposable cylinders, where a refundable fee would be paid upon return, providing an
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RACA Journal I May 2025 www. refrigerationandaircon. co. za