Why recycle lamps?

In this country alone, more than 500 million fluorescent lamps are replaced. Each lamp contains, on average, approximately 10mg of mercury vapor. If not recycled, mercury will be released to the environment. Much of the mercury will at least reach a landfill, but many are broken in transit; and a significant proportion of solid wastes go to incinerators, where the mercury is vaporized and dispersed to the air. 10 mg does not sound like much, however, it takes very little mercury to contaminate a water-body – some studies indicate that just 1 gram (or the quantity contained in 100 lamps) could contaminate a 20-acre water body!

In 2004, the total lamp recycling rate was only 26%, indicating that more than 370 million lamps were not recycled, potentially releasing more than 10,000 pounds of mercury to the environment! Recycling reclaims the mercury, glass and metals, saving raw materials and energy for other uses. For businesses, it saves money by avoiding long-term liabilities from spills and exposure and costs associated with proper disposal as a hazardous wastes shipping and handling; and it keeps them in compliance with DEQ regulations!

For more information, visit http://lamprecycle.org