Removing Large Freezer by Cutting in Half - Need Advice

[Seth Borman]

One of our houses has a large freezer that was installed in the basement before the floor was installed. As a result it cannot be removed in one piece.

I can chop it in half with a saw but I don't know what to do about the refrigerant and I don't want to run afoul of any regulations on releasing refrigerant.

Has anyone solved this problem before?