Lamp Recycling: Simple Steps
mercury, ballasts, fluorescent lamps June 3, 2008
This is Chris Matt, Associate Editor of Maintenance Solutions magazine. Today’s tip is effective lamp recycling.
Fluorescent lamps can help facilities significantly reduce their energy use, but when broken, they can release mercury, creating a threat to human health and the environment. Managers can begin or refine the process of lamp recycling by following these 9 steps:
1. Assess the facility: Gathering the appropriate information will help managers measure dollar savings over time from a recycling program.
2. Develop a purchasing plan: Ideally, managers should purchase lamps that are energy-efficient and low in mercury content.
3. Select a recycler: More than 40 lamp-recycling companies operate in the United States.
4. Manage used lamps: Managers should designate an area within the facility to store lamps.
5. Safely handle spent lamps: Workers can prevent exposure, save money disposing of higher-cost broken lamps, and prevent breakage by storing lamps safely.
6. Properly manage broken lamps: Managers will need to create procedures for reporting and managing broken bulbs.
7. Get lamps to the recycler: Small-quantity generators can mail in lamps, but some facilities generate a large enough quantity that is impractical for mailing.
8. Educate employees: Managers need to inform employees about the dangers of mercury and of the decision to recycle all fluorescent lamps.
9. Record and track data: The best way to gauge the success of a lamp-recycling program is to track how many containers are shipped for recycling and how many lamps are in each container.
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