In NZ we have a $1 per Kg of refirgerant levy for approx 15years, this fund has millions of dollars in it, which is to be used for the destruction/recycling of recovered refrigerants. To date very little refrigerant has been returned back by trade to be destroyed (hence the fund value)
Every company has the reclaim units, recovery bottles and in many cases is permently in the service vans. I suggest that they are just collecting dust. This also seems to be the case when i visit the UK and Australia.
Are we infact just kidding ourselves and others that we are doing the right thing. Are we infact doing more damage by permently dragging around an extra 30KG of basically useless weight. "thats a lot of fuel"
I know on the big systems it is commercially viable to recover the refrigerant, but smaller, it is not.
Take your modern AC work, it is almost impossible to know your charge, after a leak. What is recommended, remove charge weigh in the correct amount. Do you you vac out your recovery bottle into another recovery bottle, wash with a cleaning agent, re vac to atmosphere, recover the remaining refrigerant out of the AC unit, . Then re introduce the recovered refrigerant (now knowing its weight) and then add the required new amount. I think not!
I am curious to know what % of refrigerant is returned incompared to what is purchased around the world in different countries