What is Lamp Recycling? Why is it important?
What is Lamp Recycling?
Most people don’t know that all types of lamps can be recycled. Hazardous lamps like HIDs, Mercury Vapour and CFLs consist of metal, glass, mercury and phosphor powder. Non-hazardous lamps like halogens, incandescents and LEDs consist of metal/aluminum, glass, wire filament and iodine or bromine.
The main reason to recycle lamps is the fact that we don’t want hazardous and reusable materials like metal go to landfill. Dumping lamps in landfills can have a major impact on the environment. Mercury can leach into our soils and ground waters, which can lead to mercury poisoning and other deceases.
Lighting Solutions recycles every light bulb and fluorescent tube we replace in our lighting retrofit projects.
Check out our trusted lamp recycling partner.
Why does Lighting Solutions recycle these lamps?
lamps recycling
The main reason is that most light bulbs and fluorescent tubes contain mercury as mentioned above. Qualifying for government lighting incentives is another reason to recycle. Government incentive programs for high efficiency lighting require a certificate of recycling in order to verify that the lamps are actually recycled in a safe and proper way.
Lamp Recycling Facts:
– Only 10-20% of mercury containing lamps in Ontario are recycled by an approved and certified lamp recycling facility;
– Lamps containing mercury are known as universal hazardous waste and have to be processed properly at end of life. These lamps are CFLs, Neon, Fluorescent tubes, HIDs, Metal halides, high pressure sodium etc.
Climate change and other ecological problems require modern society to be more and more responsible in terms of waste management. Lamp recycling is an important area of waste management services. The more lamps recycling the cleaner the environment would be.
Please contact our lamp Recycling partners for more information on how to recycle you old light bulbs.