Refrigerator recycling. Refrigerators stacked ready for recycling at a refuse disposal site. The machines are sent away to have the chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) chemicals extracted for reuse. The bodies may then sold as scrap. CFCs are used as coolants but they can escape from a damaged refrigerator. They rise into the upper atmosphere and deplete the ozone layer in the atmosphere & also trap heat in the atmosphere (the greenhouse effect). Ozone protects life on Earth by blocking the harmful ultraviolet rays in sunlight. International bans on the production of CFCs mean that they must be recycled or environmentally friendly alternatives found.