Protecting the ozone layer: other national initiatives

• Canada's Strategy to Accelerate the Phase-out of Chlorofluorocarbon and Halon Uses and to Dispose of the Surplus Stocks
• National Action Plan for the Environmental Control of Ozone-Depleting Substances (ODS) and their Halocarbon Alternatives
• Environmental Code of Practice for the Elimination of Fluorocarbon Emissions from Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Systems
• Notice Requiring the Preparation and Implementation of Pollution Prevention Plans in Respect of Halocarbons Used as a Refrigerant
• Guide for the Implementation of a Halocarbon Recovery Program for Domestic Appliances

Canada’s Strategy to Accelerate the Phase-out of Chlorofluorocarbon and Halon Uses and to Dispose of the Surplus Stocks

A comprehensive review in 1994-95 of Canada’s Ozone Layer Protection Program determined that unless new initiatives were put in place to take Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and Halons out of service and dispose of them, most of the Canadian inventory of these substances would ultimately be released to the environment. The review’s main recommendations to minimize releases of CFCs and Halons were:

• Zero-release target dates should be set and met by a combination of total containment and elimination of uses;
• The destruction or transformation (to other chemicals) of unnecessary ozone-depleting substances (ODSs) should be required as soon as feasible;
• The development of new disposal technology should be supported;
• Governments should work in partnership with industry and other stakeholders to facilitate disposal; and
• Market force instruments to promote removal from service and proper disposal should be investigated.

In response to these recommendations, the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment developed a Phase-out Strategy to encourage an orderly transition from CFCs and Halons to alternative substances and technology, and to ensure safe disposal of surplus stocks. The objective of the Strategy is to minimize and avoid the ultimate release of CFCs and Halons to the environment.

The Strategy consists of specific approaches to phase out uses of CFCs and Halons and dispose of surplus substances. There are two separate components to the Strategy. The first component consists of initiatives that are general in nature. This “general” component of the Strategy addresses four separate areas: extended producer responsibility (EPR); market force instruments; disposal of surplus stocks; and control measures.

The second component consists of phase-out objectives and approaches that are specific to individual industry sectors. This component of the Strategy addresses six specific use sectors: mobile air conditioning; mobile refrigeration; household appliances; commercial refrigeration and air conditioning; chillers; and Halons.

For the EPR program, the Strategy proposed the following approach:

Industry will play a key role in the development of management strategies to phase-out, collect and dispose of surplus ODSs in Canada, including:

• Development of management plans for retrofitting, converting or replacement of existing systems using CFCs and Halons;
• Research and Development of alternative products and technologies; and
• Partnering with government and other stakeholders to develop management plans for collection and disposal of surplus stocks.

In response to this proposed approach, the Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Institute (HRAI) proposed and developed a program for the collection and disposal of surplus refrigerants in the stationary refrigeration and air conditioning and chillers sectors, funded by a voluntary industry levy on replacement refrigerants.

Find out about...

• Refrigerant Management Canada
• The Strategy and National Action Plan (Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment Web site)

National Action Plan for the Environmental Control of Ozone-Depleting Substances (ODS) and their Halocarbon Alternatives

Both federal and provincial governments recognized early on the importance of coordination and consistency of regulatory programs among the different jurisdictions. An important initiative to address this issue is the National Action Plan (NAP), which was approved and published for the first time in 1992 by the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME). The NAP provides a national framework for a harmonized approach by the federal, provincial and territorial governments to implement an ozone layer protection program. The NAP identifies tasks necessary to ensure that consistent, progressive actions take place to control all aspects of pollution prevention and all industry sectors using ozone-depleting substances and their halocarbon alternatives (including hydrofluorocarbons and perfluorocarbons). The NAP was updated and approved by CCME in May 2001 to reflect the status of previous tasks and identify new tasks for the implementation of Canada’s Strategy to Accelerate the Phase-out of CFC and Halon Uses and to dispose of the Surplus Stocks. These new tasks include:

• Encourage industry to develop Extended Producer Responsibility programs and participate in their development;
• Develop and implement control measures needed to support the extended producer responsibility programs;
• Develop awareness programs to inform stakeholders of the Phase-Out Strategy;
• Ensure that control measures developed to implement the Phase-Out Strategy form a clear and comprehensive backdrop among jurisdictions; and
• Implement the sector specific control measures and other activities identified in the Phase-Out Strategy.

Another important component of the NAP is training for people involved in the recovery and recycling of ODSs. In consultation with the service industry associations, and based on the Environmental Code of Practice for the Elimination of Fluorocarbon Emissions from Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Systems, Environment Canada developed a training program for technicians involved in the servicing of refrigeration and air conditioning equipment.

Environmental Code of Practice for the Elimination of Fluorocarbon Emissions from Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Systems

The 2015 Environmental Code of Practice for the Elimination of Fluorocarbon Emissions from Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Systems, issued under subsection 208(1) of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA 1999), replaces the 1996 Code of Practice, which replaced the 1991 version. The 2015 Code of Practice covers the design, installation and servicing of stationary and mobile refrigeration and air conditioning systems. It also covers training requirements. The 2015 Code of Practice is a complement to federal, provincial and territorial measures with a goal to minimize and eliminate emissions of certain halocarbons by introducing best practices in the cooling industry.

View full text of the Code of Practice (2015) in HTML

Notice Requiring the Preparation and Implementation of Pollution Prevention Plans in Respect of Halocarbons Used as a Refrigerant

On May 21, 2016, the Minister of Environment published a notice under Part 4 of CEPA 1999 requiring the preparation and implementation of Pollution Prevention Plans in respect of halocarbons used as a refrigerant. This notice applies to any person or class of persons who, in 2015 or any time thereafter, imports annually 100 kg or more, or manufactures or reclaims halocarbons that are to be used, whether alone or in mixtures, as a refrigerant in refrigeration systems or stationary air conditioning systems, other than domestic appliances.

This notice outlines the requirements to prepare and implement pollution prevention plans. The schedules to be completed and submitted to the Minister within the required timelines by persons subject to the Notice have also been included.

Find out about...

• Pollution Prevention Planning Notice for Halocarbon Refrigerants
• Canada-wide Action Plan for Extended Producer Responsibility (Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment Web site)

Guide for the Implementation of a Halocarbon Recovery Program for Domestic Appliances

Environment Canada has a guide that will help municipalities implement a recovery program for halocarbon contained in domestic appliances. The Guide features a nine-step process to develop a halocarbon recovery program. The guide also provides:

• general information on halocarbons;
• a summary of provincial and territorial regulations concerning the recovery of halocarbons from domestic appliances;
• a list a various persons that could be contacted during the implementation of the programs;
• a series of various private sector resources; and
• the name and phone number of contacts who can provide information specific to your region.

Designed primarily for municipalities responsible for disposing discarded home appliances that contain halocarbons, the guide may also be of interest to organizations and institutions that wish to recover halocarbons from similar appliances.

For a PDF version of the Guide, please send a request by email to ec.gestionhalocarbures-halocarbonsmanagement.ec@canada.ca.