Fluorescent Lamp Recycling

A ReStore Home Improvement staff member loads a fiber drum with spent lamps. The ReStore recycles spent lamps from the store and from donated fixtures.

Most light bulbs used by businesses contain mercury, including fluorescent tubes and high-intensity discharge lamps. Disposing of these lamps in the trash is prohibited by state and federal regulations (310 CMR 30), and enforced by Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

Keeping mercury out of the trash through recycling can make a difference in our community and at your business. When an employee throws bulbs into a compactor or dumpster, the broken bulbs release mercury vapors that can be inhaled by anyone in the area. To learn more about the mercury cycle and how most people end up being exposed to mercury, click the mercury cycle link on the right

Even small quantities of mercury are extremely toxic and can harm the human nervous system, vision and hearing. Mercury is especially dangerous for children and fetuses. The EPA recently estimated that every year 630,000 newborns in our country are at risk for health problems because of unsafe mercury levels.

Springfield

eco/Springfield (eco/S) has joined this effort to make recycling mercury-containing lighting easier. eco/S operates the waste to energy facility at Bondi’s Island and can cover the transportation and administration costs for businesses within the eco/S service area. Learn how to participate in eco's lamp recycling efforts. Download the form needed to participate. Find out if your business is in the eco service area. For more information, contact Lorenzo Macaluso.

Pittsfield

eco/Pittsfield (eco/P) has joined this effort to make recycling of mercury-containing lighting easier for Berkshire businesses. eco/P operates the waste-to-energy facility on Hubbard Avenue in Pittsfield. They will accept mercury lighting products from any business in Berkshire County as long as the business follows the instructions. eco/P will cover the transportation and administrative costs, so businesses will only be responsible for the actual recycling costs. Learn how to participate in eco/Pittsfield's lamp recycling program. Download the form needed to participate. For more information, contact Jamie Cahillane.

Boards of Health

An attendant at the South Hadley transfer station loads spent fluorescent tubes into a container inside the universal waste shed.

Boards of Health are starting to take steps to increase recycling rates in local communities. In the spring of 2005 the Board of Health of the Town of Granby received its first application to add tanning to an existing beauty salon. They needed to adapt regulations for the tanning machines and added language to the regulations requiring lamp recycling. Lamp recycling is now part of town by-laws for current and future tanning operations.

CET worked with the Health Departments for the Towns of Amherst, Ware, Greenfield and Belchertown to encourage those towns’ tanning salons to recycle lamps. CET prepared a letter that was sent on Health Department letterhead to the local tanning salons. CET then helped each salon owner establish a recycling program. CET supplied salon owners with a poster that reminds employees about proper handling for spent bulbs. CET also provided a list of area recyclers and a bid sheet to use to evaluate costs for recycling. In just one year, these few salons will collectively keep over 34,000 feet of tanning lamps out of the trash. The Towns of South Hadley and West Springfield took additional steps by encouraging all permitted businesses to establish lamp recycling. CET followed up by providing technical assistance to those businesses. In South Hadley, all businesses will have to document their lamp recycling procedures as part of the permitting process. In West Springfield, the Sanitarian has been trained on lamp issues, so she is now asking about lamps when she conducts an inspection.

Health Agents conducting inspections can easily learn to ask: What are you doing with old lamps? Do you know that lamps containing mercury need to be recycled?
Add documentation of lamp recycling to the permit renewal process.
Boards of Health can amend the bylaws that regulate facilities with tanning booths to require recycling of tanning bed lamps.
To receive templates of letters you can send to businesses explaining the importance of lamp recycling, contact Lorenzo Macaluso.