According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), more than 9 million pounds of R-22 were reported as being reclaimed in 2016. That is up from 2014 and 2015, during which time a little less than 8 million pounds were reclaimed each year, but still significantly below the more than 10 million pounds of R-22 that were reclaimed in 2008.

While 2016 showed a bump in the amount of R-22 being reclaimed, 2017 showed distinct signs of softening. As a result, refrigerant reclamation companies are concerned that recovery and reclamation efforts will not be enough to meet the HVACR industry’s needs once the production of R-22 ends in 2019.