Coalition targets mercury pollution

WEST SPRINGFIELD - The city, an environmental organization and local businesses are working together to reduce hazardous waste in a new program that recycles lightbulbs containing mercury.

The Center for Ecological Technology has been working with the city's Health Department and Department of Public Works for more than a year. The cooperative effort has enlightened 250 businesses about the importance of lamp recycling.

The effort has been a great success, according to all involved.

"I'm really happy that (the Center for Ecological Technology) sent their representatives out independent of our inspectors," West Springfield Sanitarian Kathleen E. Phelps said. The information that center agents provided has made businesses enthusiastic, and the program makes it easy for them to comply, Phelps said.

Mercury is a powerful toxic material affecting the nervous system. It is particularly harmful to children and developing fetuses. Improperly disposed of, mercury can enter waterways, works its way up the food chain and eventually be consumed by people.

Lorenzo Macaluso, a waste management specialist at the Center for Ecological Technology, said on Monday that the local collection program is expected to net more than 26 miles of the fluorescent tube bulbs, as well as 6,000 other types of mercury bearing lamps.

Just as Phelps praised the center for providing expert and practical advice to local businesses, Macaluso complimented the work of the local health department.

"The partnership with the health department is the key here," he said.

The Center for Ecological Technology had received funding from the Environmental Protection Agency to work on outreach methods to reach businesses to encourage mercury bulb recycling. The center found that the help of the local boards of health was important to getting the program up and running, Macaluso said.

Once businesses understood what the issues were, what the health concerns were and the regulations, they decided to take steps to ensure the proper disposal of the mercury-laden bulbs, he said.

Many businesses contract with Energy Answers, the company that runs Bondi Island's waste-to-energy facility. Businesses drop off their collected bulbs at Bondi's. Others contract directly with a lamp recycler.

"It's a very minor cost to them," he said. "Most businesses can take care of their recycling for the whole year for $30," he said.

Phelps said business owners learned that mercury exposure is very dangerous to young women in their childbearing years, giving them a personal reason to be part of the program. Restaurants, in particular, have many employees in that stage of their lives, she said.

The city is so pleased that Health Department officials hope that Center for Ecological Technology comes forward with other programs that involve the department, Phelps said.