While awareness of the need for refrigerant reclamation seems strong, the numbers prove that widespread adoption of reclamation has not yet taken root. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) put HCFC-22 reclamation at 8.3 million pounds last year, about 10 percent of the 80 million pounds of virgin refrigerant then available.
But this year, the EPA proposed to drop virgin supplies down to 55 million pounds. That step down, while still a proposal, has been adhered to by refrigerant manufacturers pending a final ruling later this year.