Why Recycle?
The Environment
Fluorescent lamps contain mercury, lead, metals, and other materials which have a harmful effect on the environment if not recycled.
What’s in a lamp? A fluorescent lamp consists of a glass shell, a high vacuum, a small amount of liquid mercury and evaporated mercury, some phosphor powder, and the metal end-caps and heated filaments.
Fluorescent light is produced by passing an electric current through mercury vapor, which generates ultraviolet energy. A phosphor coating on the inside of the bulb transforms the ultraviolet energy into visible light. A single four- foot fluorescent tube contains from 5 to 50 mg. of mercury.
When lamps are sent to landfills, or especially when incineration is used as an alternative disposal method, mercury vapors are released that can travel over 200 miles! It is highly toxic to the human nervous system and particularly poisonous to the kidneys. Once absorbed by the body, mercury is distributed by the blood to all tissues of the human body, and it easily crosses the placental barrier; prenatal exposure can lead to a variety of health problems including a severe form of cerebral palsy.
Why Recycle? Recycling guarantees all of your hazardous waste will be properly recycled by EPA-compliant UAE approved recycling facilities.
A large percentage of a lamp, often over 50%, will go to landfills even if it's recycled in the right way
Globally only 10-20% of mercury-containing lamps are sent to a mercury management facility
Recycling is Cost Effective
Over the lifecycle of a fluorescent lamp, the cost to recycle is less than 1% of the cost of ownership. Recycling your lamps and obtaining a certificate of recycling is also a guaranteed way to avoid fines and costly enforcement action which can easily exceed the cost of lamp recycling.
It is possible to keep mercury out of the air by sending intact lamps to a reputable lamp recycling company, where it is estimated that only 0.2% to 0.4% of the mercury is emitted to the atmosphere.
Mercury containing lamps are now quite inexpensive to recycle. However, the process still costs more than the recycled content is worth, so users must pay a small fee to have them recycled.
How small? Over the life cycle of a fluorescent lamp, the cost to recycle today is less than 1% of the cost of ownership, as the bulk of ownership dollars are spent to cover energy costs.
The estimated breakdown of costs is as follows:
1. Cost of materials: 3%;
2. Cost of installation and maintenance: 10%;
3. Cost of energy consumption: 86%; and
4. Cost of recycling: 1%.
3. Recycling is a Green Idea:
Implementing a lamp recycling program is a simple and practical way to “Go green” your organization and benefit from resulting positive PR. Recycling waste can earn your facility Green points too.
Implementing a waste recycling program within your organization is a quick and inexpensive step in the sometimes daunting “Go green” process. Having a recycling program in place can also be good for employee and customer loyalty and morale. Furthermore, recycling all mercury-containing lamps waste can help your facility meet LEED prerequisites, earn points, and achieve certification from the Go Green Initiative Programmes.
Fluorescent tubes, CFLs, HID, neon, mercury vapor, high pressure sodium and metal halide lamps are all considered to be universal hazardous waste, because they contain mercury and need to be processed at end-of-life
You Can Make a Difference
Recycling your lamps and other universal waste is the right thing to do! As the saying goes “every little bit counts” and keeping hazardous waste out of our landfills and reusing natural resources is a big step towards a sustainable world.
Did you know?
Lamps with Benefits is owned and operated by Lamps4u, a leading manufacturer and distributor of lighting solutions. Whatever your Lighting requirement, we've got you covered!
How to Clean Up a Broken Fluorescent Lamp?
CFLs and Fluorescent light bulbs contain a very small amount of mercury sealed within the glass tube. EPA recommends the following clean-up and disposal procedure below. Please also read the information on this page about what never to do with a mercury spill.
Before Clean-up: Air Out the Room
- Have people and pets leave the room, and don’t let anyone walk through the breakage area on their way out.
- Open a window and leave the room for 15 minutes or more.
- Shut off the central forced-air heating/air conditioning system, if you have one.
Clean-Up Steps for Hard Surfaces
- Carefully scoop up glass pieces and powder using stiff paper or cardboard and place them in a glass jar with metal lid (such as a canning jar) or in a sealed plastic bag.
- Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder.
- Wipe the area clean with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes. Place towels in the glass jar or plastic bag.
- Do not use a vacuum or broom to clean up the broken bulb on hard surfaces
Clean-up Steps for Carpeting or Rug
- Carefully pick up glass fragments and place them in a glass jar with metal lid (such as a canning jar) or in a sealed plastic bag.
- Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder.
- If vacuuming is needed after all visible materials are removed, vacuum the area where the bulb was broken.
- Remove the vacuum bag (or empty and wipe the canister), and put the bag or vacuum debris in a sealed plastic bag
Clean-up Steps for Clothing, Bedding and Other Soft Materials
- If clothing or bedding materials come in direct contact with broken glass or mercury-containing powder from inside the bulb that may stick to the fabric, the clothing or bedding should be thrown away. Do not wash such clothing or bedding because mercury fragments in the clothing may contaminate the machine and/or pollute sewage.
- You can, however, wash clothing or other materials that have been exposed to the mercury vapor from a broken CFL, such as the clothing you are wearing when you cleaned up the broken CFL, as long as that clothing has not come into direct contact with the materials from the broken bulb.
- If shoes come into direct contact with broken glass or mercury-containing powder from the bulb, wipe them off with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes. Place the towels or wipes in a glass jar or plastic bag for disposal.
Disposal of Clean-up Materials
- Immediately place all clean-up materials outdoors in a trash container or protected area for the next normal trash pickup.
- Wash your hands after disposing of the jars or plastic bags containing clean-up materials.
- Check on our website www.lampswithbenefits.ae on the nearest disposal location.
- Some Emirates do not allow such trash disposal. Instead, they require that broken and unbroken mercury-containing bulbs be taken to a local disposal / recycling center.
Future Cleaning of Carpeting or Rug: Air Out the Room During and After Vacuuming
- The next several times you vacuum, shut off the central forced-air heating/air conditioning system and open a window before vacuuming.
- Keep the central heating/air conditioning system shut off and the window open for at least 15 minutes after vacuuming is completed.
