A method and apparatus are disclosed for recovering and separating anesthetic gas components from waste anesthetic gases to be purged from a healthcare facility. The condensation-type anesthetic reclamation method and apparatus comprise one or more of the following preferred embodiments: a low-flow anesthetic gas scavenging unit, a frost fractionation process for collecting waste anesthetic gases as frost on the cooling surfaces of a cold trap/fractionator, a compressor with at least one compression stage, and a self-contained unit requiring minimal interfacing with the utility infrastructure and supplies of the healthcare facility.