Hi Clifford, yes, I totally support what you're saying about environmental issues regarding releasing refrigerant into the atmosphere and wouldn't contemplate it if that was involved. It seems these kits only replace the gas lost over time through evaporation rather than purging the system of old gas. Also the kit comes with pipework, connectors, and a gauge to ensure the correct pressure is reached (I'll add a pic as an example).
That said though I have the same sort of concerns as you, and also whether these kits are actually effective or just a waste of money as I don't always trust the reviews on seller's pages to be 100% genuine so I was wondering if any other members had tried one before.