Best Practices for Mitigating Potential Harm and Community Benefits of Reclamation and Destruction of HFCs
On this page:
- Best Practices for Community Engagement
- Best Practices for Identifying and Mitigating Potential Harms of HFC Reclamation and Destruction
Best Practices for Community Engagement
While reclamation and destruction of HFCs may have broader benefits for the climate, reclamation and destruction facility operations may have local impacts, too. Reclamation and destruction facility owners and operators are encouraged to take input from local community members into consideration as they make facility-related decisions that may impact those communities.
Best practices for facility owners and operators may include:
- Providing members of the communities surrounding the reclamation or destruction facility with opportunities to provide candid feedback on lived experience.
- Engaging the local community early and often in the planning process for and implementation of construction of new facilities and changes to existing facilities.
- Actively seeking and incorporating community feedback in the development of programs, projects, and new efforts by:
- Taking time to understand the unique challenges and perspectives of the local community.
- Working with the local community to establish shared goals and identify critical times for community engagement (e.g., during the planning phase for new facilities).
- Sharing information with community members about the facilities and opportunities for input. Communications materials should be tailored to specific groups within the community and translated into languages other than English based on community needs. Community meetings should be conducted in a way that is accessible to community members.
- Building and maintaining collaborative relationships with community leaders.
Resources for facility owners and operators include:
- IAP2 Public Participation Pillars (pdf) (3.7 MB)
- The Community Engagement Guide for Sustainable Communities (pdf) (0.8 MB)
- Collaborative Governance in Theory and Practice
- The Community Action for a Renewed Environment (CARE) Model
- Working Effectively with Tribal Governments (pdf) (0.4 MB)
- NIEHS Core Environmental Health Centers
- The EPA’s Presentation on Elements of a Stakeholder Engagement Plan
Community members are encouraged to participate in discussions with facility owners and operators, stay informed about ongoing activities, and raise concerns as they arise.
In addition to those listed above, resources for community members include:
- Report Environmental Violations (ECHO)
- Technical Assistance Services for Communities (TASC) Program
- Thriving Community Technical Assistance Centers (TCTACs)
- The EPA’s Environmental Information by Location
- The EPA’s Cleanups in My Community
- Regulatory Impact Analysis Addendum: Analysis of the Economic Impact and Benefits of the Final Rule: Management of Certain Hydrofluorocarbons and Substitutes Under Subsection (h) of the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act of 2020 (pdf) (3.11 MB, 10/11/2024)
Best Practices for Identifying and Mitigating Potential Harms of HFC Reclamation and Destruction
While there are benefits to HFC reclamation and destruction, potential harms to surrounding communities and the environment could include: emissions of unintended byproducts from destruction (e.g., combustion byproducts from incineration), vehicle emissions associated with transportation of materials in and out of facilities, as well as associated noise and light disturbances, and the cumulative effect of a combination of these harms on communities. However, due to the limited information regarding the emissions at reclamation and destruction facilities, and uncertainties regarding how those activities and emissions might shift in the future, it is unclear to what extent baseline risks from hazardous air toxics for communities living near HFC reclamation and destruction facilities may be affected by increased reclamation and/or destruction of HFCs.
HFC reclamation and destruction facility owners and operators are responsible for:
- Ensuring their facilities meet applicable regulatory requirements under existing environmental laws, to limit possible harmful impacts. For example, reclaimers must meet Section 608 Clean Air Act Requirements.
- Ensuring any hazardous waste generated from reclamation and destruction (e.g., hazardous chemical byproducts from HFC destruction or hazardous waste oil from reclamation) is disposed in accordance with the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.
Other considerations:
- Limiting GHG emissions and other pollution from transport of refrigerant-containing equipment and materials to reclamation and destruction facilities by:
- Limiting vehicle idling times to reduce emissions from vehicles;
- Where possible, using vehicles with better fuel economy and lower emissions, or electric vehicles, and promoting the use of such vehicles (e.g., providing onsite electric vehicle charging);
- Optimizing shipments to limit the number of trips and miles driven;
- Monitoring and minimizing trips in residential areas; and
- Scheduling facility operations to limit light and noise disturbances to nearby neighborhoods at times communities prioritize (e.g. early mornings, evenings, during school commutes).
HFC reclamation and destruction have environmental, economic, and community benefits, including:
- Ensuring unwanted or unusable HFCs are destroyed and not emitted to the atmosphere where they contribute to climate change. EPA has approved appropriate destruction technologies for HFCs.
- Reducing the need to produce new HFCs, which could reduce potential emissions from some existing production facilities near communities.
- Allowing homeowners to continue to service existing HFC air conditioning equipment through its useful life, even as production and consumption of HFCs is phased down, limiting the need to purchase new equipment.
- Generating economic activity and jobs where reclamation and destruction facilities are located.