RECYCLING CENTRES FOR GAS
Move to ease CFCs shortage during phase-out
A NETWORK of recycling centres for car air-conditioning gas will be set up nationwide to ease chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) shortage.
Tenders for the Department of Environment (DOE)’s RM2.34 million project have been called.
Its deputy director, Mr Tan Meng Leng, said the project, which includes manpower training, will be paid by the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol.
The fund was established by developed countries to help developing nations phase out ozone-depleting substances (ODS), including CFCs.
Tan said most of these centres will be in the Klang Valley because of the high number of motor vehicles there.
He said these centres will be located at workshops for the motorists’ convenience.
CFCs and other ODS are getting scarce due to a phase-out by developing nations.
Topping up a tank of CFC used to cost about RM1O, but it now costs three to four times more.
Recovery
Recycling will help conserve whatever CFCs left and cut rising cost.
A minimum of 30 per cent reduction in CFC usage in cars is possible if the recycling equipment is fully enforced in all workshops.
"Car air-conditioning uses up 1,170 tonnes of CFC last year compared to 720 tonnes in 1986," said Mr Haw En Kwi yesterday, when presenting his paper on Current Statuts: Overview and Industry View on Available Alternatives and Technologies at the national ODS conference.
He said consumption is projected to increase to 1,380 tonnes next year and 1,600 in 1996 if no action is taken.
Ninety per cent of the CFCs, he said, are used by cars topping up their gas.
"If the gas is no longer available, the consumer will have to choose whether to convert to a new refrigerant, to purchase a new vehicle with a new air-cond system or to do without air conditioning," he said.
He said the automotive air-conditioner industry together with some major car firms have introduced at least 100 units of recovery recycling equipment throughout the country to authorised service workshops and branches.
The recycling is to ensure that CFCs are not freely discharged into the atmosphere but collected, reused or stored for destruction when technologies are available.
Few takers for funds to phase out ODS
THERE are few takers for money to help small-and-medium scale industries to phase out ozone-depleting substances (ODS).
Department of Environment (DOE) deputy director Tan Meng Leng said the number of applications for aid from the Multilateral Fund to implement the Montreal Protocol could be counted on his fingers.
He said that the fund is for developing countries in need of help while phasing out ODS like chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and halon.
"Although Malaysia is one of the first to get the fund, the industries are slow in coming forward," he said.
The DOE, he said, could not be expected to know the specific needs of each company phasing out ODS although it can and does take steps for general needs like setting up recycling centres for car air-conditioners.
He said that one of the companies which applied for the aid was a food packaging company.
He said that seven ODS working groups have been set up to look into the specific needs of companies applying for refrigeration, mobile air-conditioner, foam, aerosol, fire-fighting and methyl bromide.
The multilateral fund was established as a RM624 million interim fund for 1991 to this year to help developing countries meet the standards in the Protocol.
Contributions for next year to 1996 is expected to increase to between RM884 million and RM1,300 million. Contributions are made by the industrialised nations.
All funds have to be applied through the Government.
Companies should first identify the project it wants to undertake. The project should be for incremental costs which would not have been borne If the phase-out had not occurred.
Source : The Malay Mail, July 21 1993
Recycling Point Dot Com
(C) 2000 All Rights Reserved