Abstract: A method and apparatus for recovering, reclaiming and/or recycling refrigerants, including receiving the chlorinated flurocarbon refrigerant into the apparatus at a regulated pressure, cleaning the refrigerant to provide a substantially pure chlorinated flurocarbon refrigerant, and compressing the refrigerant to form a high-pressure, high-temperature gaseous phase refrigerant. The gaseous phase refrigerant is condensed to a liquid low-temperature refrigerant by sequentially passing the gaseous refrigerant through a first and second heat exchanger. The second heat exchanger extracts the heat from the gaseous refrigerant through an evaporator of a high stage refrigeration system. The condensed low-temperature refrigerant is transported and deposited in a storage cylinder. To recycle the refrigerant, the liquid refrigerant is drawn from the storage cylinder and transformed from a liquid phase to a gaseous phase by absorbing heat produced by the high stage refrigeration system.