EPA Discloses Program to Recycle Refrigerant Gases in Automobiles

SAN DIEGO —  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Friday that a program to conserve ozone-depleting refrigerant gases has received the endorsement of auto makers and should be in place by 1990.

Equipment to recycle car air-conditioner refrigerants, which contain chemical gases known to damage the Earth’s ozone layer, will soon be tested for certification, EPA official Stephen Andersen said.

Seven domestic and foreign auto firms, including Ford, Chrysler and General Motors, have agreed to standards for purity of recycled refrigerants, Andersen said.

Use of recycling equipment by auto repair shops will be voluntary at first but may become mandatory by 1992, he said, adding that the cooperation of the auto makers was critical to the success of the recycling program.

“They are the people who warrant your car for the first several years of ownership and who write the service manuals that tell your mechanic how to service your car,” Andersen said.

The recycling machines, which will cost upwards of $1,500 each, will remove refrigerant gas from air conditioner systems, filter out excess water and oil and feed the recycled gas back into the car.