The Federal Government has undertaken extensive consultation with industry in a bid to enhance the Destruction Incentives Program for waste synthetic greenhouse gases (SGG) and ozone depleting (ODS) substances.
Under the program, refrigeration contractors receive a payment of $4.50 per kilogram for waste refrigerant gases that are collected for destruction. It is a $1.50 a kilogram increase on top of the $3 per kilogram already paid to contractors by Refrigerant Reclaim Australia (RRA).
The program will be administered by RRA through refrigerant wholesalers, by increasing the rebate paid to contractors for returning unwanted and unusable ozone depleting and synthetic greenhouse gas refrigerants.
The program was introduced to provide additional incentive and encouragement to contractors to recover and return waste refrigerant for destruction, in a bid to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to meet Australia’s commitment under the Kyoto Protocol.
Rather than reinvent the wheel the government has decided to utlilise the existing successful industry-funded disposal and recovery program developed and managed by Refrigerant Reclaim Australia (RRA).
RRA's program has been in operation for almost 20 years and during this time has taken back and destroyed around 4800 tonnes of ODS and SGG refrigerants.
This equates to preventing the destruction of approximately eight million tonnes of stratospheric ozone, and the prevention of emissions of about 10 million tonnes of CO2e equivalent.
RRA general manager, Michael Bennett, has praised the level of consultation undertaken by the Department of Sustainability Environment Water Population and Communities (DSEWPaC).
"Following a series of meetings attended by industry and DSEWPaC personnel, and two broad ranging studies, the government chose to enhance the existing scheme rather seek a less permanent and perhaps less efficacious solution," Bennett said.
A spokesperson for the government recognised the important role that RRA has played in the destruction of SGGs and ODS: "…… by providing additional incentives the government can build on the continued operation and success of the existing industry scheme,” the spokesperson said.
Some other exciting initiatives were also announced in the May Budget along with the Destruction Incentive Program.
Over the next two years DSEWPaC will undertake studies to determine the viability of end-of-life recycling programs for consumer durables such as split air-conditioning units, with an objective of improving the rates of refrigerant recovery.
Also announced was additional funding for additional officers to increase the level of enforcement of the existing regulations and licence conditions.
This will improve the level of compliance across the industry and lead to greater levels of compliance and more equal competition.
Consideration will also be given to the development of a global warming potential based component for the Destruction Incentive payment.
Basing the incentive payment on the GWP of the refrigerant returned for destruction is problematic given current infrastructure technology and costs.
