End of-life management solar photovoltaic panels 2016 irena
Fluorescent Light Business Case
1. Fluorocycle
Project
A review of recycling options
for spent fluorescent lamps
in the Townsville local
Government area.
Kim Brease
Work Experience Student – James Cook
University
2. 1
Table of Contents
1 Executive Summary.........................................................................................................................3
2 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................4
3 Project aims.....................................................................................................................................5
4 Policies ............................................................................................................................................5
4.1 Policy in Australia....................................................................................................................5
4.1.1 “Flashback” – a project established by Sustainability Victoria and leading retailers .....6
4.1.2 Eastern Metropolitan Regional Council (EMRC) .............................................................7
4.2 Policy overseas........................................................................................................................7
4.2.1 Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR).........................................................................7
4.2.2 USA..................................................................................................................................7
4.2.3 European Union (EU) ......................................................................................................8
4.2.4 Switzerland......................................................................................................................8
4.2.5 Germany..........................................................................................................................8
5 CFL’s: the risks to human health and the environment..................................................................8
5.1 Health considerations.............................................................................................................8
5.2 Environmental considerations................................................................................................9
5.2.1 Landfilling fluorescent lamps..........................................................................................9
5.2.2 Risks to human health at recycling depots ...................................................................10
5.2.3 DEWHA recommendations for dealing with broken fluorescent lamps.......................10
6 Options for the treatment of lamps..............................................................................................10
6.1 Option 1 – Bulb Eater machines............................................................................................11
6.2 Option 2 – Weight plus freight options (pre-paid boxes or stillage bins).............................11
6.3 Option 3 – Purchasing a unit for large quantities.................................................................12
6.4 Option 4 – Sequestration of mercury (long term storage of mercury) ................................12
6.5 Option 5 – Business as usual/do nothing..............................................................................13
7 Costs of recycling – the costs and benefits...................................................................................13
8 Cost effectiveness and recovery of costs......................................................................................14
9 Recyclers of fluorescent lamps in Australia..................................................................................14
9.1 Toxfree..................................................................................................................................14
9.2 CMA Ecocycle........................................................................................................................14
9.3 Lawrence and Hanson (L&H).................................................................................................15
10 FluoroCycle Programme............................................................................................................15
10.1 Facilitator Signatory..............................................................................................................15
10.2 Action plan............................................................................................................................15
4. 3
1 Executive Summary
The Fluorocycle project was instigated as a joint venture between Townsville City Council, Integrated
Sustainability Services (ISS) and Townsville Waste Services Department in response to a letter
received regarding the FluoroCycle Programme (Appendix 7). The purpose of this report is to provide
feasible options to reduce the amount of mercury entering the environment from fluorescent
lighting.
Fluorescent lamps contain mercury, which is identified as a hazardous substance. The risk to human
health and the environment, from mercury contamination is a growing concern. Currently accurate
data on the amount of lamps disposed of to landfill each year is unknown. Potential risks during
landfill operations include the breakage of lamps which release mercury as a vapour, potentially
impacting the health of waste collectors and landfill personnel, as well as causing environmental
harm.
Since 2009, a ban on the import and sales of incandescent lamps due to their high energy use has
caused a rapid market growth in the use and sale of Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs). This growth
has resulted in an increase in the amount of CFLs being disposed of to landfills throughout Australia
and the world, from both domestic and commercial areas. Several states in Australia have
recognised a need for lamp recycling. Legislation enacted in 2010 by the Council of Australian
Governments resulted in the Product Stewardship Act 2011. The FluoroCycle programme was
implemented by the Lighting Council of Australia as an outcome of this act. This is a voluntary
scheme that seeks to increase the recycling rate of fluorescent lamps. Several mercury waste
recyclers in Queensland are recognised by the FluoroCycle Programme as “Commercial users”. These
recyclers offer collection boxes to return for disposal, but in comparison to the bulb crushing option
it can be time consuming and expensive.
Around the world CFL disposal is managed in many different ways. These are disposal to landfill
(cheapest option) and recycling. In countries where recycling takes place a fee is charged to cover
the collection and recycling costs. Industrial generators of lamps are responsible for managing their
own wastes, paying to use private recycling facilities. Extended producer responsibility has gained
acceptance with a user pays system to cover disposal costs. To encourage recycling, some countries
have implemented legislation to make recycling of fluorescent lamps compulsory, however Australia
is yet to implement legislation in this area.
Recycling spent fluorescent lamps seems to be the best option to divert hazardous mercury waste
from entering landfill and then contaminating our waterways and food chains. It is estimated,
initially, that the number of lamps recycled will be relatively low (studies conducted by Sustainability
Victoria estimated that there were approximately 10,000 lamps recovered over 13 months), but with
continued education initiatives this number should be expected to increase.
The recommendation is for Townsville City Council to become a signatory of the FluoroCycle
programme. Becoming a “facilitator” to the programme provides the organisation with public
recognition for their commitment to recycle fluorescent lamps and diverting the hazardous waste
from landfill.
The second recommendation is Option 1 – Purchasing a Bulb Eater unit. This option exhibits the
greatest benefits for both human health and the environment. Purchasing a unit diverts the
hazardous waste from landfill resulting in a healthier environment and less risks to human health.
5. 4
Although there is an initial outlay to purchase a unit, there appears to be several business
opportunities to recover the costs as well as to make a profit.
It is recommended that regular testing for mercury be conducted at Townsville landfill operations in
the leachate ponds and for vapour in the air. It is requested for the Corporate Health and safety
team to investigate testing options further.
A recommendation is for Property and Procurement services to amend the tender process; this
should include a clause in all contracts for the appropriate disposal of fluorescent lamps.
There is also an opportunity for Townsville Waste Services Department to continue working with
North Queensland Resource Recovery (NQRR) to limit the amount of lamps entering the landfill.
NQRR have expressed an interest to purchase a bulb eating machine of larger magnitude to be
installed at their Bohle site. This would make lamp recycling in Townsville more cost effective as the
transport costs would be eliminated.
2 Introduction
The rapid market growth of fluorescent lighting has resulted in a need to consider recycling options
for spent lamps. It is not considered good environmental practice to dispose of fluorescent lamps to
landfill, although this practice is still occurring Australia wide. This report seeks to develop a safe and
inexpensive recycling system for households and businesses in the Townsville City Area.
Currently, in Townsville there are no recycling options for mercury waste. The majority of spent
fluorescent lamps are being disposed of to landfill by residential and commercial users. Some
awareness for recycling has been recognised by several commercial users in the area and bulk
amounts are being sent to NQRR for further treatment before being disposed of to landfill. This
treatment eliminates the release of vaporous mercury to the atmosphere at landfills, but the issue of
methyl mercury leaching into the groundwater remains.
Mercury (Hg) is one of the most toxic heavy metals found in the environment; it is a persistent
environmental pollutant. A far more dangerous form of mercury is formed in aquatic systems where
a methyl group bonds with a mercury cation (an ion that has a positive charge) to form methyl
mercury (CH3Hg+
). Methyl mercury is a toxic bio-accumulant (when an organism absorbs as a toxic
substance faster than which it is lost to the environment) that concentrates in the environment
contaminating the ecosystem and killing wildlife. As methyl mercury accumulates in the food chain
common exposure to humans is ingested from the consumption of contaminated fish. This affects
the central nervous system and is especially harmful to a developing foetus with suspicions of being
linked to cerebral palsy in newborns (Nance et al., 2012).
Mercury is an essential component in fluorescent lamps; the mercury emits ultraviolet energy which
is absorbed by the phosphor coated glass tube, resulting in visible light emissions as the phosphor
fluoresces (Jang et al., 2005). Incandescent bulbs use electricity to heat an internal tungsten filament
causing it to glow hot with heat. While fluorescent lamps are significantly more energy efficient
using 70% less energy than the incandescent bulb they can contain anywhere from 4mg – 100mg of
mercury.
Although fluorescent lamps contain a relatively small amount of mercury the risk of continuing the
disposal of these products into landfill is becoming increasingly dangerous. Australians are in the top
6. 5
ten Electronic waste consumers in the world; however we have fallen behind the rest of the
developed world when it comes to the management of end of life hazardous waste products. In
Australia we currently dump over 70 million fluorescent lamps into landfill each year and over 17
million lamps are being sold. An approximate recycling rate of 1% is being observed (Angel, 2008).
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for end of life Electronic waste has become law in the
European Union, Japan, China, South-Korea, US and Canadian States, and parts of South America
(Silveira and Chang, 2011).
The products recycled from fluorescent lamps are 100% recoverable with markets for the glass in the
fibre insulation industry, dental amalgam for the mercury, aluminium is sold to metal recycling
companies and the phosphor is recycled into fertiliser (Appendix 1).
Since incandescent bulbs were phased out, there has been an increase in the use of fluorescent
lamps with very little action taken to formulate a plan for the disposal or recycling of the product.
Several countries around the globe have already identified the issue, implementing legislation to
enforce the collection and recycling of fluorescent lamps (Bremner, 2010).
3 Project aims
The scope of this project is to undertake a study on fluorescent lamps and to determine the
feasibility of establishing a CFL recycling plant within the Townsville City area. Several other options
will be investigated for the safe disposal of mercury containing lamps. This report looks at the
following five options:
1. Determine how bad the problem and consider the environmental impacts, health and safety
and legacy waste. The benefits gained to the environment from preventing mercury
pollution as a result of spent fluorescent lamps being dumped into landfill.
2. Determine the different options for the treatment of spent fluorescent lamps.
Option 1 – Purchasing a bulb eating machine
Option 2 – Purchasing collection boxes to send away lamps for recycling
Option 3 – Purchasing a recycling plant for large quantities
Option 4 – Sequestering the mercury
Option 5 – Business as usual/do nothing
3. Determine the investment required to establish a recycling plant.
A cost and benefit analysis.
Maintenance costs
Staff requirements and training
4. Determine if the project is cost effective and suggest how the costs of the project can be
recovered.
5. Outline the process of becoming a signatory with FluoroCycle and devising an action plan.
4 Policies
4.1 Policy in Australia
Currently no legislation exists in Australia for the collection and recycling of fluorescent lamps. From
November 2009 the Australian government introduced a ban on the import and sale of incandescent
7. 6
lamps, making it compulsory for all incandescent lamps to be replaced by more energy efficient
fluorescent or Light Emitting Diode (LED) lamps (Bremner, 2010).
The Product Stewardship Act 2011 provides a framework to manage the impacts associated with
hazardous waste. This legislation is a result of a commitment announced by the Australian
Government under the National Waste Policy. This was agreed to by Governments in 2009 and
endorsed by the Council of Australian Governments in August 2010. This project is primarily aimed
at the commercial and public lighting sectors and resulted in the FluoroCycle Programme being
implemented in Australia in conjunction with the Lighting Council of Australia (Bremner, 2010).
4.1.1 “Flashback” – a project established by Sustainability Victoria and leading retailers
In 2008, Sustainability Victoria initiated the Flashback programme in line with the working towards
zero waste strategy. The partnership included Banyule City Council, Ararat Rural City Council,
Ballarat City Council and Hepburn Shire Council and the trial ceased in June 2009. The trial involved
retail collection points at Coles Supermarkets and Beacon Lighting stores (see Fig 1). The retailers
participated by allowing collection bins to be placed in the entrances of their stores, and the results
suggest the specialised lighting stores are a more effective means for collection points. Most
customers that deposited the spent lamps into collection bins were unaware of the recycling
programme, but as they were bringing the units to the store for replacement they were motivated
to use the free disposal service for the end of life lamps (Bremner, 2010).
Figure 1 - Comparison of volumes collected by site Figure 2 - Kilograms collected per month during Flashback
In total, 9763 (589 kg) end of life lamps were collected over a 13 month period (see Fig 20. The
highest concentration of lamps was collected in the earliest months of the pilot. Little promotional
activity was undertaken beyond December 2008 and a decline in lamps collected could be attributed
to the campaign.
Through the operation of the pilot programme it was determined that the costs of a collection and
promotion scheme for end of life products equated to $52.23 per kilogram or $3.32 per globe
collected (see Tab 1).
8. 7
Table 1 - A collection of costs for lamps during the Flashback programme
4.1.2 Eastern Metropolitan Regional Council (EMRC)
EMRC consists of six member councils located in Perth’s eastern suburbs: town of Bassendean, City
of Bayswater, City of Belmont, Shire of Kalamunda, Shire of Mundaring and the City of Swan. The
Western Australian State Government has committed to a policy of “Towards zero Waste”. The
Western Australian Government enacted legislation in 2007: the Waste Avoidance and Resource
Recovery Act 2007 (WARR Act), giving the Government extra power to enforce reporting and
disposal regulations. Collection facilities are available in public places for the drop off of domestic
lamps, these are collected once a month and taken to a secure landfill facility, they are then
collected by a local recycling company (Bremner, 2010).
4.2 Policy overseas
A number of countries have already implemented legislation to aid in the safe recovery of mercury
from mercury containing products. These products are safely recycled and prevention from entering
landfills promotes a safer environment.
4.2.1 Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)
EPR is a policy approach which has been adopted by many developed countries around the world
under which the producers accept significant responsibility for the collection and recycling for end of
life products. This type of “Cradle to the Grave “responsibility provides incentives to prevent waste
at the source and promotes recycling for end of life Electronic waste (Silveira and Chang, 2011) .
4.2.2 USA
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) declared that the United States has the third
highest mercury emissions in the world. In 1999, the US the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
classified Mercury Containing Lamps (MCLs) as a universal waste, a type of hazardous waste that
requires correct recycling disposal methods.
EPA encourages the use of fluorescent lamps as they reduce the demand for electricity they also
recommend that all fluorescent lamps be correctly recycled. Requirements vary from state to state
for the disposal of fluorescent lamps.
In addition to Federal legislation, several states have banned the disposal of MCLs into landfill and in
the State of Maine; legislation was passed in May 2009 that requires lamp manufacturers to share
the costs and responsibility for the recycling of fluorescent lamps.
Several states in the USA have prohibited the incineration and landfilling of fluorescent lamps
including California, Maine, New Hampshire, Minnesota, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island,
New York and Connecticut.
9. 8
4.2.2.1 Maine
Maine law prohibits the dumping of fluorescent lamps into landfill; consumers can deposit their
spent lamps at any one of the 100 collection sites around the state. Recycling bins are placed in
participating retail outlets and spent fluorescent lamps are accepted at no charge. The recycling rate
of lamps in Maine is still relatively low, although studies have concluded that the convenience of
collection sites was the key to the campaign success.
4.2.2.2 Vermont
In 2011, Vermont’s Governor signed the act into law prohibiting fluorescent lamp manufacturers
from selling their products unless they have implemented an approved collection plan and pays a fee
to the state. Retailers are also prohibited under the act from selling mercury containing products
unless they are have implemented an approved collection plan for spent bulbs.
4.2.2.3 Massachusetts
In May 2008, disposal of fluorescent lamps into landfill or by incineration was banned in
Massachusetts. Businesses and organisations are required to box up their spent lamps and have
them collected by an approved recycler and household lamps can be delivered to a hazardous waste
facility or an approved collection site. Failure to comply with the Mercury Management Act can
result in fines extending up to $25,000.
4.2.3 European Union (EU)
In the EU a cap on the mercury content of CFLs is required by the Regulation of Hazardous
Substances (RoHS) law. The Waste Electrical Equipment Directive (WEEE) 2002/96/EC, was enacted
in 2003. This is an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) tool that requires manufacturers,
importers and retailers of products to maintain a percentage of electronic waste recycling (this
includes fluorescent lamps). The retail price of the product includes a levy which is used to pay for
collection and recycling. Under the WEEE Directive the manufacturer and importers have obligations
for the collection and recycling of fluorescent lamps (Mukherjee et al., 2004).
4.2.4 Switzerland
In Switzerland, lamp retailers, manufacturers and importers are required to accept MCLs that they
sell or produce. Under federal legislation lamps must be disposed of separately and consumers must
return them to designated collection points. The retail price of lamps includes a prepaid disposal fee
which funds the collection, transportation, recycling and disposal operations.
4.2.5 Germany
Germany recycles almost all spent fluorescent lamps. These are collected in 220 collection locations
around the country and processed in 20 recycling plants (these figures were as of 2008). The success
of recycling in Germany is credited to the availability of the collection and recycling infrastructure.
5 CFL’s: the risks to human health and the environment
Studies show that there is a minimal level of awareness in the community that fluorescent lights
contain mercury; it is likely that a large portion of the community is unaware of the following
potential risks.
5.1 Health considerations
Fluorescent lamps contain small amounts of mercury which is toxic to human health. The main
concern relating to mercury exposure from fluorescent lamps is due to the inhalation of mercury
10. 9
vapour caused from lamp breakage. There are no safe limits for mercury exposure, however
complications related to mercury are typically documented in people working with mercury, not
from exposure to broken fluorescent lamps (Nance et al., 2012).
Mercury is a toxic bio-accumulant and can be exchanged between atmospheric, aquatic and
terrestrial environments. The main form of poisoning is from the consumption of fish contaminated
with methyl mercury (Aucott et al., 2003). Methyl mercury which accumulates in the food chain can
potentially lead to adverse health effects, such as impaired neurological development in foetuses,
infants and children. Studies done in the USA in 2002 show one in twelve women of childbearing age
have been reported to have a blood mercury level above the USA EPA reference dose. Methyl
mercury has the ability to cross the human placenta but it also accumulates at higher concentrations
on the foetal side (Johnson et al., 2008).
5.2 Environmental considerations
Since the phase out of incandescent lamps, fluorescent lamps have become the most common type
of lamps used for lighting, creating a greater cause of concern for mercury contamination in the
environment (Miller, 2009). Mandatory Australian requirements state that compact fluorescent
lamps contain no more than 5mg of mercury and the content of mercury in fluorescent tubes cannot
exceed 15mg (Appendix 6).
The risk of damage to the environment is high as mercury accumulates in landfills. It is estimated
that 95% of fluorescent lamps are being disposed of into landfill across Australia converting to toxic
methyl mercury, spreading into the environment through the air, water and soil (Mukherjee et al.,
2004). There are several isotopes of mercury the most stable being 194
Hg having a half-life of 444
years, the isotope methyl mercury 203
Hg has a half-life in the environment of 46 days and within the
human body it has a half-life of between 70-74 days. Once mercury has been released into the
atmosphere it has the potential to be distributed globally (Miller, 2009). The legacy of mercury
waste will haunt us for many years to come if we don’t change the way we dispose of these
hazardous materials.
5.2.1 Landfilling fluorescent lamps
Mercury exists in many forms in the natural environment and methyl mercury is more biologically
available (higher concentrations in the environment) than metallic mercury. The conditions found in
landfills are conducive to the formation of methyl mercury, where the aquatic, low pH and anaerobic
conditions simulate the environment where it forms. The main cause of concern would be leakage
into the surrounding environment and water table from landfill sites; this may increase in sites that
lack lining and therefore it is more difficult to manage the leachate produced by the site. If landfills
are constructed with impermeable protective, base liners and modern leachate collection systems it
is more difficult for the solid waste mass to leach into groundwater.
Acceptable mercury levels in ambient air are 0.2µg/m3
(0.2 micrograms/cubic metre) as set by the
World Health Organisation (WHO). Methyl mercury concentrations have been recorded up to 100
times higher than the acceptable level in several landfills around the world, with some landfills in
Florida recording gaseous mercury emissions of up to 10kg/yr-140kg/yr (Lindberg and Price, 1999).
In North-Carolina, high levels of dimethyl mercury, an organic form, have been found in landfill gas
1000 times higher than the background level in ambient air (Silveira and Chang, 2011).
11. 10
Once the mercury is in the landfill, it will either vaporise into the atmosphere, or leach into the
ground water. The residence time for mercury at landfill sites appears to be longer than what it is in
the biosphere (Clear and Berman, 1994). This causes problems in local catchment and wetland areas.
Mercury vapour is an occupational hazard, not only an environmental one. There are potential risks
for personnel at landfill operations from the handling of mercury waste. These risks are increased by
transportation, dumping, spreading, compacting and burial of fluorescent lamps. While the risk of
being exposed to mercury from one broken lamp is minimal, landfill personnel are at higher risk of
exposure as a result of significant numbers of fluorescent lamps being disposed of at landfills (Clear
and Berman, 1994).
5.2.2 Risks to human health at recycling depots
Considerations regarding the risk of mercury contamination of personnel and visitors at recycling
depots are advised. As many residents are unaware of what materials are actually recyclable, the risk
of having recycling waste contaminated by broken lamps is high. There is a high possibility that the
personnel at the plant are being exposed to unknown amounts of mercury vapour every day.
5.2.3 DEWHA recommendations for dealing with broken fluorescent lamps
Open windows and doors to allow the room to ventilate for 15 minutes before attempting to
clean the broken lamp. Turn off all air-conditioning, fans and heating equipment that may
re-circulate mercury vapours back into the room
Do not use a vacuum cleaner or broom on hard surfaces as this can spread the contents of
the lamp and contaminate the cleaner. Instead scoop up broken material (e.g. using stiff
paper or cardboard), directly into a glass container that can be sealed immediately
Use disposable rubber gloves instead of bare hands
Use a disposable brush to carefully sweep up the fragments
Use a damp cloth or damp paper towel to wipe up any remaining fragments or powders
On carpets or fabrics, carefully remove as much glass and/or powdered material using a
scoop and sticky tape; if vacuuming is required to remove residual material, ensure that the
vacuum bag is disposed of or the canister is wiped clean
Dispose of clean-up equipment (i.e. gloves, brush, damp paper) and sealed containers
containing pieces of the broken lamp in your outside rubbish bin (never in the recycle bin)
While not all of the recommended clean-up and disposal equipment described above may be
available. It is important to emphasise that the transfer of the broken fluorescent lamp and clean-up
materials to an outside rubbish bin as soon as possible is the most effective ways of reducing
potential contamination of the indoor environment. (From www.environment.gov.au)
6 Options for the treatment of lamps
Potential generation of fluorescent lamps in Townsville on average is estimated at 2.9 lamps per
person; at last census (2011) the population in Townsville was estimated to be 184,526, this equates
to 550,395 lamps being disposed of into landfill each year.
A number of options for the treatment of fluorescent lamps are available. Pre-paid boxes are an
option with little up front outlay, although the continued expenses of this option are quite high.
Initial monetary outlays of purchasing a Bulb Eater unit may be more excessive, but the operating,
storage and freight costs would be minimal in comparison to the Pre-paid system. The option of
12. 11
mercury sequestration should be explored, although very little research has been done on this topic
it still remains a contentious issue regarding the environment.
6.1 Option 1 – Bulb Eater machines
On-site Bulb Eater machines, which safely contains the mercury in a carbon filter while separating all
of the other products ready for recycling (Appendix 1).
Table 2 - Costs for purchase of a bulb eater unit
Costs Per bulb Total per bulb
Bulb eater unit $8300 $0.083 $0.43
Staff costs $50/hr @ 3/min $0.27 -
Spare parts $500 $0.05 -
Filter disposal $300 $0.03 -
Cuts recycling and transport costs.
Reduces storage space by 80%.
Minimises handling and reduces staff hours and wages, compared to collection bins which is
time consuming and expensive
The bulb eater will only recycle linear tubes
Completely eliminates the possibility of any mercury waste from entering landfills and then
the environment
The filters removed from the unit need to be transported as hazardous waste incurring a
higher freight charge
This machine and its parts need to be imported from the USA and to date no units have been
purchased in Australia. As the bulb eater is fully imported, Toxfree is unable to offer any warranty or
after sales service for the product (Appendix 2).
6.2 Option 2 – Weight plus freight options (pre-paid boxes or stillage bins)
Collection or deposit boxes situated in convenient locations and when full they can be collected and
transported to the appropriate company for further recycling (Appendix 3).
Table 3 - A breakdown per lamp from each recycling (prices are accurate as at May 2014)
Per box (+GST) Per bulb (+GST)
Toxfree (box of 50) $110.90 $2.21
CMA Ecocycle (box of 100) $176.20 $1.76
CMA Ecocycle - Stillage bins (holds
1500)
$2221.50 $1.48
Lawrence and Hansen $78.95 $1.30
The risk of broken lamps is high and contamination from other waste products is high
This is a more expensive option for recycling lamps due to the average staff handling time
needed to box them up.
Is more time consuming (compared to crushing) and needs more space for storage.
The pre-paid boxes only accommodate linear tubes
13. 12
In addition to the costs of recycling the lamps, there will be staff costs/wages to remove the
collection boxes from the deposit sites, package the lamps into the boxes and organise the logistics
of transport to the recycling company. This option is expensive and extremely time consuming.
6.3 Option 3 – Purchasing a unit for large quantities
There are several recycling units on the market available for purchase. Balcan Engineering LTD
started designing and manufacturing lamp crushers in 1980 and they are located in Lincolnshire, UK.
They supply recycling units to recover large amounts of fluorescent lamps (Appendix 5).
Table 4 - Prices of large units imported from the UK (prices are accurate as at May 2014)
Unit Type Price of unit Freight from UK Total price Lamps per year
MP4000 $344,765.45 $36,291.10 $381,056.55 1 – 2 million
MP6000 $444,566.01 $45,363.88 $489,929.89 5 – 10 million
Balcan Engineering has supplied one recycling unit to Detox (formerly known as Chemsal) in
Australia. As the figures on the expected numbers of lamps to be recycled in Townsville are
incomplete, this option would seem highly unfeasible.
6.4 Option 4 – Sequestration of mercury (long term storage of mercury)
Activated carbon is a granular material that is used for mercury adsorption (adhesion of atoms, ions
or molecules to a solid surface). It is one of the most widely used adsorbents for removing mercury
from industrial effluents (Bessinger and Marks, 2010). Mercury adsorbed by activated carbon can be
sequestered in concrete containing a mercury adsorbent. The device for storage needs to be sturdy
and puncture resistant and the interior needs to be lined with a mercury sequestering substance to
ensure the safe disposal of the lamps (Maggio, 2008).
Acticarb EA700S is a product supplied by Activated Carbon Technologies PTY LTD. This product is
impregnated with sulphur which then reacts with the mercury to create mercury sulphide, becoming
insoluble. The mercury in this form is less volatile than elemental mercury and has little chance of
forming methyl mercury.
For the purposes of this report it will be suggested, as an option, that the fluorescent lamps be safely
stored in a 5m3
pit lined with 10cm of concrete and with a mercury adsorbent attached to the
substrate to sequester any mercury leakage caused by any lamp breakages. To maximise the
adsorption of mercury the largest possible portion of the surface of the pit should be lined with the
activated carbon. A 500kg bag is expected to sequester approximately 100-300kg’s of mercury.
Table 5 - Costs for sequestering the mercury (prices are accurate as at May 2014)
Per pit Per lamp
Acticarb $4,150 -
Concrete 50m3
$9,295 -
Lamps per pit 176,400 $0.076
The amount of concrete and the size of the pit are approximates and may need to change if the
proposed specifications need to be altered after being assessed by an engineer. Staff costs and
wages have not been calculated in these costing’s. This option needs to be researched further as
licensing requirements at the landfill operation may not permit this type of activity.
14. 13
6.5 Option 5 – Business as usual/do nothing
As there is no current legislation in place to recycle fluorescent lamps in Australia it makes
compliance very difficult. However, as a total ban on the import and sale of incandescent lights was
introduced in 2009, it is only a matter of time until Australia follows other nations that are already
recycling their hazardous mercury containing products.
Currently, if all fluorescent lamps in Townsville make their way into landfill it is estimated that 8.2kg
of mercury would be contaminating landfill each year, it only takes 1 gram of mercury to
contaminate 4 billion litres of water. Mercury is only released from the lamps when they are
broken, this is released as a vapour, and breaking a number of bulbs in an uncontrolled manner (e.g.,
by manual handling mass amounts at landfill sites) can directly expose humans to dangerous levels
of mercury. Although, each fluorescent lamp only contains a small amount of mercury, if thousands
of lamps are dumped, the cumulative mass can be significant.
In the short term this option requires very little energy and no expense to provide for the disposal of
fluorescent lamps, but if harm is caused to the environment or to the health of staff from continued
exposure of mercury the clean-up/rehabilitation/compensation costs could be quite significant.
7 Costs of recycling – the costs and benefits
Table 6 - A comparison in costs for each option (prices are accurate as at May 2014)
Options Costs per
bulb
Advantages Disadvantages
Option 1
Bulb eater
$0.50 Removes the bulk of toxic
waste from landfill.
Minimal storage space for
lamps.
Less time consuming.
Can recover other materials to
use as scrap metal.
Only recycles linear tubes.
Still need to dispose of toxic waste to
recycler.
Option 2
Collection
boxes
$1.30-$2.21 Removes the bulk of toxic
waste from entering landfill.
Requires a lot of storage space.
Very time consuming.
Very expensive.
Option 3
Balcan
recycling unit
Not viable Recycles large amounts of
lamps.
An opportunity for council to
create a business for recycling
mercury wastes.
Outlay of purchasing the equipment is
very expensive.
Only beneficial if extremely large
amounts of lamps are to be recycled.
Option 4
Mercury
sequestration
$0.08 Safely sequesters the mercury,
prevents environmental
contamination.
Diverts the waste from landfill.
The cost per tube is relatively
small.
Ability to sequester all types of
lamps.
Need to provide a parcel of land to use
for pits.
Still have the problem of long term
environment monitoring.
Option 5
Do nothing
NIL The cost to council is minimal. High risk of environmental
contamination.
The risks to human health are unknown.
15. 14
8 Cost effectiveness and recovery of costs
There will be a significant initial outlay to purchase the Bulb Eater recycling unit however these costs
are anticipated to be recouped relatively quickly.
The aluminium end caps from the recycling process can be retrieved and sold as scrap metal,
currently selling for $1.46 per kg
The glass can also be retrieved and recycled
There is an opportunity for The Townsville City Council to contract services to other regional
councils in the area by charging a fee to recycle their spent lamps
The lamps would need to be collected and transported to Townsville for crushing, or
Opportunities also may exist to contract the units out to regional councils, they
would need to be mounted either on a trailer or securely in the back of a light rigid
truck for transportation
This could also apply to local lighting contractors – who would have to pay to use the
services
Contracts should also include a clause providing for the costs of recycling the lamps
that are being replaced
All Government agencies and large organisations within the Townsville City Council area
should be encouraged to recycle their spent fluorescent lamps
This programme will provide a means for them to do so, for a fee.
There is an option to charge the residents 10 cents per lamp to be disposed of, although the
chances of this being successful is highly unlikely
9 Recyclers of fluorescent lamps in Australia
There are several recyclers of fluorescent lamps in Australia although only two companies operate in
Queensland. Toxfree and CMA Ecocycle both have recycling depots in Brisbane and can provide
services to Townsville.
9.1 Toxfree
Toxfree has a national network of waste management facilities with over 55 facilities around
Australia. Toxfree are foundation signatories of the Government initiative Fluorocycle programme,
and they are committed to raising awareness of the issue around Australia. The “Bulb Eater”
recycling unit can be purchased from Toxfree Australia and they also offer a box up and send away
option. The boxes for recycling are $5 each and can be purchased in flat pack cartons of 200. The
freight to Townsville is approximately $100-$150. The boxes will accommodate 4-5 feet linear tubes
only which hold approximately 50 tubes each and the cost of recycling the units is $2.40 per
kilogram. The freight of the full boxes back to Toxfree is approximately $220-$230 per pallet (see
appendix 3).
9.2 CMA Ecocycle
CMA Ecocycle is Australia’s only EPA licensed mercury recycling company using state of the art
equipment to safely recover the mercury from fluorescent lamps. CMA Ecocycle makes it easy to
recycle fluorescent lamps offering a “weight plus freight” option. Using a pre-paid system that covers
the cost of delivery, collection and processing.
16. 15
9.3 Lawrence and Hanson (L&H)
L&H provide a pre-paid service available through Australia post; the Ezy-return boxes are available in
two sizes; one for linear fluorescent tubes and the other for mixed globes. The service includes a
fully lined sealable box with reply paid return freight and a full recycling service (Appendix 4).
10 FluoroCycle Programme
FluoroCycle is a voluntary scheme that aims to increase the national recycling rate of fluorescent
lamps, and to prevent mercury from entering the environment. It is recommended that the
Townsville City Council becomes a signatory of the FluoroCycle scheme and as a “Facilitator” to the
programme the organisation will receive public recognition in regard to their commitment to
recycling.
10.1 Facilitator Signatory
A Facilitator is required to meet the following commitments to the FluoroCycle scheme:
Promote lamp recycling and the FluoroCycle scheme to its clients and networks
Perform the activities set out in the Action Plan submitted with the Application for Signatory
status
Adhere to the Signatory commitments set out in the FluoroCycle Guidelines and the
Signatory Guide to FluoroCycle Branding
Provide a signed Annual Statement of Compliance that self-certifies compliance with the
commitments that apply to Facilitators
Provide annual updates of the Action Plan to accompany the Annual Statement of
Compliance.
Cooperate with surveys that are undertaken from time to time, and with random or risk-
based audits, as instigated by the Administrator
10.2 Action plan
The action plan (Appendix 9) needs to be completed and submitted to the facilitator at the same
time as the application form for approval. The action plan needs to outline the actions that the
organisation plans to take in regards to mercury waste and provide a timeline in which these actions
will be applied. Facilitators are also strongly urged to consider becoming “Commercial” users and
take steps to recycle all of their mercury waste material.
10.3 Commercial user
A Commercial User is to meet the following commitments to the FluoroCycle scheme:
Have a requirement in relevant contracts for all waste mercury-containing lamps to be
recycled
Adhere to the Signatory commitments set out in these Guidelines and the Signatory Guide to
FluoroCycle Branding
Provide a signed Annual Statement of Compliance that self-certifies compliance with the
commitments that apply to Commercial Users, and
Cooperate with surveys that are undertaken from time to time, and with random or risk-
based audits, as instigated by the Administrator
17. 16
10.4 Other signatories
A list of signatories can be found on the FluoroCycle website.
http://www.fluorocycle.org.au/index.php
10.4.1 Bankstown City Council
Bankstown City Council is listed as a Facilitator signatory of the FluoroCycle programme; they host a
Chemical clean-out event annually where residents can dispose of hazardous waste including
fluorescent lamps. Residents are also encouraged to take advantage of hazardous waste disposal
events that are held by the NSW Environment Protection Agency all year round. The lamps are
collected and sent to the recycler in the supplied boxes. Bankstown City Council recycles all of the
lamps consumed by the council, but businesses have to make their own arrangements for the
disposal of lamps.
10.4.2 Liverpool City Council
Liverpool City Council has developed an action plan as a FluoroCycle signatory. They provide
collection boxes for relevant staff to utilise when replacing lamps within the Council facilities. The
council promotes lamp recycling to its residents and is currently establishing a community drop off
point at its landfill facility.
10.4.3 CSIRO
CSIRO has been developing a national approach to waste and recycling services, including hazardous
wastes. As part of that approach fluorescent lamps were included in that contract. Every CSIRO has
access to mercury containing lighting recycling as part of their contract either in the form of stillage
bins or large boxes, all contractors are instructed to utilise these bins. From their national contract
reporting (Jul 13 – Jan 14) CSIRO has diverted 1.335 tonnes or 7.99 m3
of lighting from entering
landfill.
11 Conclusion
The presence of mercury in the environment is a persistent and increasing problem. Fluorescent
lamps, which contain mercury, are a more energy efficient option than incandescent lamps; however
their extensive use has caused growing concerns for their disposal. Although the amounts of
mercury being used within a lamp have decreased over the last decade, it is still an essential product
for their operation.
It is a well-known fact that mercury containing products have been placed in municipal landfills for
generations and despite the known volatility of mercury, it is not a widely studied topic. There are
major problems with this as the effects that mercury pollution has on the environment are
inconclusive. The best way to prevent contamination at landfills is to completely divert the end
waste from entering the system by recycling them.
Several other municipalities around Australia have recognised a need to recycle fluorescent lamps.
They offer drop off points at landfill sites as well as holding events several times a year encouraging
the residents to recycle hazardous wastes. These practices not only promote a healthier
environment, but it also provides the council with an opportunity to make an impression on the
residents and other regional councils because they have made a commitment to prevent hazardous
wastes from entering the environment.
18. 17
The management and treatment of mercury containing products should be an issue to be addressed
worldwide. Efforts must be focussed on developing effective treatment techniques for the safe
disposal of mercury to prevent its transfer to the environment. Due to pollution caused by the
disposal of spent fluorescent lamps, the US EPA took steps to regulate their disposal under the
hazardous waste act in landfill. Australia has already recognised a problem and it will only be a
matter of time until legislation is implemented here.
19. 18
12 Appendix 1
Figure 3 - Separated materials from the recycling process
Figure 4 - The recycling process
21. 20
14 Appendix 3
Table 7 - Costs for recycling tubes and freight with Toxfree
Boxes (empty) come in packs of 200 $5 each
Recycling process (per kg) $2.40
Freight to Townsville $100-$150
Freight to Brisbane $220-$230
Table 8 - Prices per pre-paid box from L&H
Per box Per tube/bulb
Linear tubes pack of 60 $78.95 $1.30
Mixed bulbs $63.95 -
Figure 7 - A breakdown of collection boxes and transport to CMA Ecocycle
24. 23
17 Appendix 6
All fluorescent lamps are currently imported to Australia. Generally, the higher the voltage, the more
mercury the lamp contains. Common types of mercury containing lamps include:
High intensity discharge lamps (HID), these are used for street lighting and contain between
50 and 1000mg of mercury
Linear fluorescent tubes, traditional used commercially and in public buildings, as an
Australian standard they contain less than 15mg
Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), most commonly used domestically and are required to
have no more than 5mg of mercury
Fluorescent lamps use 70 – 80% less energy than the alternative and last approximately 6 – 10 times
longer (Silveira and Chang, 2011).
29. 28
21 References
ANGEL, J. 2008. Australia's E-Waste Crisis. Tipping Point. Australia: Total Environment Centre.
AUCOTT, M., MCLINDEN, M. & WINKA, M. 2003. Release of mercury from broken fluorescent bulbs.
Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association, 53, 143-151.
BESSINGER, B. A. & MARKS, C. D. 2010. Treatment of mercury‐contaminated soils with activated
carbon: A laboratory, field, and modeling study. Remediation Journal, 21, 115-135.
BREMNER, A.-M. 2010. Fluorescent lights: collection models and recycling. A desktop study. Perth:
Encycle Consulting Pty Ltd.
CLEAR, R. & BERMAN, S. 1994. Environmental and health aspects of lighting: mercury. Journal of the
Illuminating Engineering Society, 23, 138-156.
JANG, M., HONG, S. M. & PARK, J. K. 2005. Characterization and recovery of mercury from spent
fluorescent lamps. Waste management, 25, 5-14.
JOHNSON, N. C., MANCHESTER, S., SARIN, L., GAO, Y., KULAOTS, I. & HURT, R. H. 2008. Mercury
vapor release from broken compact fluorescent lamps and in situ capture by new
nanomaterial sorbents. Environmental science & technology, 42, 5772-5778.
LINDBERG, S. & PRICE, J. 1999. Airborne emissions of mercury from municipal landfill operations: A
short-term measurement study in Florida. Journal of the Air & Waste Management
Association, 49, 520-532.
MAGGIO, E. T. 2008. Methods, compositions, and devices for safe storage, transport, disposal and
recycling of mercury containing light bulbs. Google Patents.
MILLER, M. M. 2009. Compact Fluorescent Lights, Mercury, and the Landfill. DTIC Document.
MUKHERJEE, A. B., ZEVENHOVEN, R., BRODERSEN, J., HYLANDER, L. D. & BHATTACHARYA, P. 2004.
Mercury in waste in the European Union: sources, disposal methods and risks. Resources,
Conservation and Recycling, 42, 155-182.
NANCE, P., PATTERSON, J., WILLIS, A., FORONDA, N. & DOURSON, M. 2012. Human health risks from
mercury exposure from broken compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs). Regulatory Toxicology and
Pharmacology, 62, 542-552.
SILVEIRA, G. T. & CHANG, S.-Y. 2011. Fluorescent lamp recycling initiatives in the United States and a
recycling proposal based on extended producer responsibility and product stewardship
concepts. Waste management & research, 29, 656-668.
