CHAPTER V

Controlled substances contained in refrigeration, air-conditioning and heat pump equipment, equipment containing solvents or fire protection systems and fire extinguishers shall, during the maintenance or servicing of equipment or before the dismantling or disposal of equipment, be recovered for destruction, recycling or reclamation. Controlled substances and products containing such substances shall only be destroyed by approved technologies listed in Annex VII or, in the case of controlled substances not referred to in that Annex, by the most environmentally acceptable destruction technology not entailing excessive costs, provided that the use of those technologies complies with Community and national legislation on waste and that additional requirements under such legislation are met. The Commission may amend Annex VII in order to take new technological developments into account. Those measures, designed to amend non-essential elements of this Regulation, shall be adopted in accordance with the regulatory procedure with scrutiny referred to in Article 25(3). Controlled substances contained in products and equipment other than those mentioned in paragraph 1 shall, if technically and economically feasible, be recovered for destruction, recycling or reclamation, or shall be destroyed without prior recovery, applying the technologies referred to in paragraph 2. The Commission shall establish an Annex to this Regulation with a list of products and equipment for which the recovery of controlled substances or destruction of products and equipment without prior recovery of controlled substances shall be considered technically and economically feasible, specifying, if appropriate, the technologies to be applied. Any draft measure to establish such an Annex shall be accompanied and supported by a full economic assessment of costs and benefits, taking into account the individual circumstances of Member States. Those measures, designed to amend non-essential elements of this Regulation, inter alia, by supplementing it, shall be adopted in accordance with the regulatory procedure with scrutiny referred to in Article 25(3). Member States shall take steps to promote the recovery, recycling, reclamation and destruction of controlled substances and shall define the minimum qualification requirements for the personnel involved. The Commission shall evaluate the measures taken by the Member States and may in the light of this evaluation and of technical and other relevant information, as appropriate, adopt measures regarding those minimum qualification requirements. Those measures, designed to amend non-essential elements of this Regulation, inter alia, by supplementing it, shall be adopted in accordance with the regulatory procedure with scrutiny referred to in Article 25(3). Undertakings shall take all precautionary measures practicable to prevent and minimise any leakages and emissions of controlled substances. Undertakings operating refrigeration, air conditioning or heat pump equipment, or fire protection systems, including their circuits, which contain controlled substances shall ensure that the stationary equipment or systems: with a fluid charge of 3 kg or more of controlled substances are checked for leakage at least once every 12 months; this shall not apply to equipment with hermetically sealed systems, which are labelled as such and contain less than 6 kg of controlled substances; with a fluid charge of 30 kg or more of controlled substances are checked for leakage at least once every 6 months; with a fluid charge of 300 kg or more of controlled substances are checked for leakage at least once every 3 months; and that any detected leakage is repaired as soon as possible and in any event within 14 days. The equipment or system shall be checked for leakage within 1 month after a leak has been repaired to ensure that the repair has been effective. Undertakings referred to in paragraph 2 shall maintain records on the quantity and type of controlled substances added and the quantity recovered during maintenance, servicing and final disposal of the equipment or system referred to in that paragraph. They shall also maintain records of other relevant information including the identification of the company or technician which performed the maintenance or servicing, as well as the dates and results of the leakage checks carried out. These records shall be made available on request to the competent authority of a Member State and to the Commission. Member States shall define the minimum qualification requirements for the personnel carrying out activities referred to in paragraph 2. In the light of an evaluation of these measures taken by the Member States and of technical and other relevant information, the Commission may adopt measures regarding the harmonisation of those minimum qualification requirements. Those measures, designed to amend non-essential elements of this Regulation, inter alia, by supplementing it, shall be adopted in accordance with the regulatory procedure with scrutiny referred to in Article 25(3). Undertakings shall take all precautionary measures practicable to prevent and minimise any leakages and emissions of controlled substances used as feedstock and as process agents. Undertakings shall take all precautionary measures practicable to prevent and minimise any leakage and emissions of controlled substances inadvertently produced in the course of the manufacture of other chemicals. The Commission may establish a list of technologies or practices to be used by undertakings to prevent and minimise any leakage and emissions of controlled substances. Those measures, designed to amend non-essential elements of this Regulation, inter alia, by supplementing it, shall be adopted in accordance with the regulatory procedure with scrutiny referred to in Article 25(3).

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Source: EUR-Lex (Cellar) · retrieved 2026-11-04 · Text as adopted (Official Journal); later amendments are not incorporated in this text.