Meet Reggie from Vermont, When his Maytag refrigerator went bad on him, he decided to set it out on the curb a couple of days before trash day. After hiring a friend to help out with the hauling from the kitchen to the curb he fell victim to foul play or should I say freon play. You see Reggie was ignorant of some basic EPA laws.
The story continues with Reggie leaving the fridge out at night only to have a freon head come and cut the lines and remove the compressor but left the shell of the refrigerator behind. So how did Reggie end up with and hefty bill? Well the freon head pushed the refrigerator back on to Reggie’s property that night and left the bottom of the refrigerator exposed for the whole neighborhood to see. The next morning Reggie got in his car and just drove to work not realizing what happened. But the neighbors reported the eyesore sitting in Reggie’s yard before Trash pickup day. It just so happened that the EPA was out and about in the area running random inspections and got a tip on the fridge with the missing freon. After evaluating the situation the EPA determined that since the fridge was still on Reggie’s property and not past the curb, he is responsible and will be held accountable for releasing CFC,s into the atmosphere. By the time Reggie got home that day he found a nice notice to appear in court where he would have to defend his case before a judge to explain why he should not have to pay $37,500 for a trashed refrigerator. The story is not true but if you don’t think this can happen to you think again.
Visit the EPA website to learn more about the clean air act of 1990.
On July 1, 1992, Section 608 of the Act prohibits individuals from intentionally venting ozone-depleting substances used as refrigerants into the atmosphere while maintaining, servicing, repairing, or disposing of air-conditioning or refrigeration equipment (appliances).
The EPA is conducting random inspections, and responding to tips, and pursuing cases against potential violators. Under the Act, EPA is authorized to assess fines of up to $37,500 per day for any violation of these regulations. And the perpetrator by law will be the last handler of the item. So if someone removes the compressor from a refrigerator or Freezer on your property and leaves the shell of the refrigerator behind, you can be held accountable.
And it’s all in the name of stratospheric ozone protection.
To avoid a scenario such as this, you should call for special item pickup in your city. Then you should not put this item out until special pickup arrives. In this way you can be sure that no one can come along and remove the compressor and release freon in to the atmosphere and cause you to get the blame, or you should go online and find companies that will do this for Free or for a small fee.