Min standard for European fridge recycling sector

The demanufacture of refrigeration equipment containing CFCs WEEE directive in Europe must be accompanied by serious debate on the issue of recycling quality

According to the RAL Quality Assurance Association for the demanufacture of refrigeration equipment containing CFCs, the implementation of the WEEE directive in Europe must at the same time be accompanied by serious debate on the issue of recycling quality.

While the economic interests of waste owners are wholly understandable and appropriate, minimum acceptable quality requirements for the recycling of waste refrigeration equipment must not be left out of the equation.

Fridge recycling is in fact an area in which a European standard could be established without difficulty in the near future.The practical implementation of the WEEE directive in the EU member states has seen producers, environmental ministries and recycling companies subjected to myriad specifications and requirements.

Despite the fact that aspects such as financing, logistics and terminology have gradually been resolved; the RAL Quality Assurance Association believes that the issue of recycling quality has not been adequately addressed.

In contrast to the treatment of other types of waste electrical equipment, the question of a uniform standard in the fridge recycling sector has been largely settled.

The RAL standard has established itself throughout Europe as a means of ensuring the environmentally sound treatment of waste refrigeration equipment.

The key parameters in the RAL quality assurance and test specifications have been taken as the basis for the national legislation in a number of European countries (Austria, Denmark and Germany).

In other countries, public invitations to tender for fridge recycling services have been compiled on the basis of the RAL quality standard that was established in 1998.

What is still missing, however, is a consensus between stakeholders in the fridge recycling market.

Manufacturers, the EU Commission, member state governments and recycling companies must find a means of consolidating existing knowledge on quality requirements in a binding document that is applicable to all European recyclers.

This would create a level playing field when tendering for fridge recycling services in the future.European recycling companies are currently operating at widely differing quality levels.

If equal opportunity, competitive parity and environmental protection are not to remain just fashionable buzzwords, but be put into actual practice, it is essential that the process of harmonisation that RAL has been promoting for some time now becomes reality.

However, the implementation of minimum fridge recycling requirements alone is not enough.

As the motto says: 'Trust is good, control is better'.

The introduction of a European standard must go hand-in-hand with the creation of an institution that can perform regular independent checks to ensure that recyclers are actually complying with the specified quality requirements.

The RAL Quality Assurance Association has already established the necessary auditing structure and since 1998 has carried out more than one hundred audits of fridge recycling service providers.

With supplementary experts drawn from appliance manufacturers, environmental ministries and recycling companies, the Quality Assurance Association quality committee would be in a position to authorise uniform standardised plant audits across Europe and to evaluate the results.

Other WEEE products could also be incorporated into this quality standard and testing system so that the uniform, high-quality, pan-European implementation of the WEEE directive could be achieved in a relatively short space of time.

The RAL Quality Assurance Association will be writing individually to the EU Commission, EU member states and the leading professional associations representing manufacturers and recyclers to present this new concept.

Numerous players in the fridge recycling market have already welcomed the RAL initiative and it remains to be hoped that the RAL idea for promoting greater environmental and climate protection and establishing real competitive parity becomes accepted.Ultimately, consumers would also benefit, and it goes without saying that such a system would also create added value for all market players.

For further information please contact RAL Quality Assurance Association for the Demanufacture of Refrigeration Equipment Containing CFCs.

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