Energy efficient fluorescent lamps and HID lights have gained widespread usage over the years compared to incandescent ones, fluorescent lamps and HID lights are three to four times more efficient in converting electricity to visible light.
Fluorescent and high intensity discharge (HID) lamps contain mercury and in most cases are considered to be hazardous waste when disposed. Mercury is a metal that can accumulate in living tissue and cause illness or death in humans. When a lamp is broken or placed in a landfill or incinerator, the mercury can contaminate the air, surface water, and ground water.
Fluorescent lamps and HID lights contain small quantities of mercury, cadmium and antimony. It has been estimated that between 450 and 500 million fluorescent lamps and HID lights are disposed of in the United States each year, dumping over 30,000 metric tons of mercury contaminated waste into the nation's landfills'. Through improper disposal methods, mercury can travel from the soil to various water sources. Lakes have been found to be polluted with mercury, rendering fishes unsafe to eat. Concentration of mercury in fish at one Minnesota lake have increased 5 percent a year since 1970 according to a Minnesota Pollution Control Agency study. As mercury moves up the food chain, it becomes more concentrated. In concentrated foam, it is poisonous to the human nervous system. Industry estimates show that between 450 and 500 million fluorescent lamps and HID lights are disposed of in the United States each year, dumping over 30,000 metric tons of mercury contaminated waste into the nation's landfills.
The materials that are contained within the bulbs are very hazardous. Never break bulbs deliberately and never breathe the vapors or dust given off during a break.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has been studying landfill disposal of fluorescent lamps and HID lights for some time. The Agency's stand on the classification of fluorescent lamps and HID lights as RCRA waste is still unclear.
For the latest developments in federal regulations call:
Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA) Assistance Information Hotline (202) 554-1404
Resources Conservation Recovery Act (RCRA) Hotline (800) 424-9346
Hazardous & Toxic Materials Office & Board of Public Works
City Hall 200 N. Spring Street Room 353 Los Angeles, California 90012 (213) 237-1209
In California, the Cal-EPA Department of Toxic Substances Control would, in general, regulate the management of spent fluorescent light tubes and spent mercury vapor lamps destined for disposal as the management of hazardous wastes, because mercury is listed as a hazardous waste under Title 22, California Code of Regulations, Section 66261, and because the spent tubes and lamps typically contain enough mercury to qualify as toxic hazardous wastes under Title 22, CCR, Section 66699. Pending the development and adoption of regulations specifically addressing the management of spent fluorescent light tubes and spent mercury vapor lamps, the Cal-EPA DTSC has adopted the following as a temporary policy: A generator may dispose of as non-hazardous waste no more than 25 spent fluorescent light tubes and/or mercury vapor lamps, regardless of size, at any one time in one day (e.g., 20 tubes and 5 lamps or 15 lamps and 10 tubes, etc., but not 25 tubes and 25 lamps).
The Cal-EPA DTSC believes that the 25-tube and/or lamp limit would reasonably represent the maximum amount of mercury (based on the average quantity contained in each tube or lamp) that may be disposed at one time. Questions regarding this temporary policy should be directed to:
Department of Toxic Substances Control
California Environmental Protection Agency
P.O. Box 806 Sacramento, California 95812-0806 (916) 324-1807
Any generator-requiring disposal of more than 25 lamps can either have these materials recycled or disposed of in a Class I landfill.
You are highly encouraged to recycle your mercury-containing lamps rather
than dispose of them. Contact the EPA for a list of lamp recyclers. When
recycled, these lamps will not count towards your facility’s hazardous waste
generator status. However, if the lamps are determined to be hazardous and you
choose to dispose of them in a hazardous waste landfill, they will count toward
your facility’s hazardous waste generator status.
DO
DO NOT
Check with local waste haulers and see if they can provide recycling containers.
Proper Disposal: Both the State of California and the Federal EPA classify Mercury as both hazardous and toxic. Fluorescent lamps and HID lights often contain over three times the concentration of mercury allowable for landfill disposal in California. Disposal of spent tubes and lamps at a designated hazardous waste landfill can be costly and lead to increased liability in the long run. Under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), the Federal EPA, State EPA and courts can hold any individual or corporation liable for cleanup of a hazardous waste site regardless of the extent of their contribution. The risk of being a potentially responsible party (PRP) is causing many generators including small businesses to look for alternatives to landfill disposal.
Some generators have turned to incinerators as a disposal option. Once the lamps are heated, these incinerators can emit mercury vapors that can travel over 200 miles, increasing the area of mercury contamination. The EPA reported that the 187 incinerators nationwide emit approximately 70,000 pounds of mercury each year.
A good alternative is to recycle mercury containing lamps and tubes. There are several companies in California that process and recycle spent fluorescent lamps and HID lights. In choosing one, the following precautions must be taken:
Off-Site Alternatives: The
process developed by Lighting Resources, Inc. involves dissembling the lamp and
mechanically separating the materials with the help of proprietary equipment.
Aluminum end caps are mechanically removed from the intact fluorescent lamp. The
aluminum is then sent for recycling. A vortex of air is induced into the lamp to
separate the mercury from the lamp phosphor. The remaining glass is now
environmentally clean and is recycled by a local company. Mercury not recovered
at the facility is sent for processing in a vacuum mercury retort recovery still
and is fully recycled.