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China to ban Freon from 2010

(Chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2009-09-16 19:52

The Environmental Protection Minister Zhou Shengxian said that China's effort to preserve the ozone layer is equal to half of the total efforts made by developing countries, the Beijing Evening News reported.

Zhou says China has reduced its production of ozone-depleting substances by 100,000 tons and its consumption by 110,000 tons.

Marking the 15th annual International Ozone Layer Protection Day, the report said that by the end of this year, the country will completely discontinue the discharge of the ozone-depleting substance Freon.

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Freon is a significant ozone-depleting substance widely used as a refrigerant in the manufacture of freezers.

Currently China has 49 million Freon-free refrigerators, accounting for 40 percent of the world's total number.

From January 2010, Freon will be completely banned in the manufacture of new products, but the old home appliances produced with Freon will not be prohibited until they are naturally discarded.