According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the total amount of R-22 that was reclaimed in 2018 (the last date for which data is available) dipped slightly when compared to 2017 (see Table 1). In 2017, the agency reported that 8,680,022 pounds of R-22 were reclaimed, while in 2018, 8,041,474 pounds of R-22 were reclaimed.
Many in the HVACR industry are following these numbers closely, given that the production and importation of R-22 ceased at the beginning of 2020. There is a large installed base of air conditioning and refrigeration equipment that still uses R-22, so once virgin supplies are exhausted, reclaimed refrigerant will be the only source available. However, most experts agree that there will be no shortage of R-22 any time soon.