Enterprise for recycling fluorescent lamps. Real concern for the environment: recycling and removal of lamps from the company "Crystal of Purity"
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Fluorescent lamps have many advantages. Compared to incandescent lamps, they have a higher light output, they are 5 times more economical and can last up to 15 thousand hours. Therefore, linear and compact fluorescent lamps are most widely used. Their only drawback is the presence of mercury vapor in the gas discharge tubes. Therefore, proper disposal is important fluorescent lamps: they should not be thrown away with ordinary garbage, but you need to take it to special items reception. It is also necessary to recycle energy-saving home lighting lamps: their collection points are usually located in regional REUs and DEZ |
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Fluorescent lighting is widely used today. The comfortable light of fluorescent lamps, close to daylight, is successfully used in offices, shopping centers, on commercial and industrial enterprises. And recent energy conservation efforts have helped propel compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) into a strong position in home lighting. After all, energy-saving CFLs are now practically the only reasonable alternative to incandescent lamps that are being withdrawn from sale, given the extremely high cost of another alternative - LEDs.
From an economic point of view, the transition to fluorescent lighting is quite justified, since such light sources are 6-15 times more durable and 4-5 times more economical than incandescent lamps, that is, they completely pay for themselves within a few months. Yes and by technical specifications Fluorescent lamps are significantly superior to incandescent lamps. However, there is a fly in the ointment - linear and compact fluorescent lamps contain mercury vapor, and therefore are environmentally unsafe. Mercury is known to be a toxic substances first class of hazard (“extremely dangerous”), therefore fluorescent lamps and lamps require some caution in use. And most importantly, they require special disposal, since disposing of lamps along with ordinary waste will lead to dangerous environmental pollution.
Disposal of fluorescent lamps: a problem that needs to be solved
Gas discharge lamps low pressure, in which mercury vapor is used to produce light radiation, have been actively used for more than one decade. Therefore, the problem of proper disposal of mercury-containing lamps did not appear yesterday. However, serious attention to this problem in Russia began to be paid only in the last decade, since due to the abandonment of incandescent lamps, the scale of use of fluorescent lamps has increased immeasurably. Today on Russian market various models More than 40 manufacturers offer CFLs for the home, and this number is constantly growing. Almost every apartment already has at least one compact fluorescent lamp, and many consumers have already completely switched to fluorescent lighting.
The main difficulty in the area of recycling energy saving lamps is that the speed of spread of newfangled light sources significantly outstrips the adoption of measures to address them efficient recycling. Specialized recycling centers currently exist only in major cities, and even then not in all. In addition, while it is quite possible in practice to monitor the recycling process of mercury-containing lamps by organizations, it is virtually impossible to track the path of failed CFLs from individuals. In the field of control of individuals, the disposal of mercury-containing lamps poses a particular problem - ordinary people sometimes simply throw a broken light bulb in the trash, and some of them are not even aware that they contain mercury. And this situation is typical not only for Russia: it is known that even scrupulous Europeans often throw away CFLs along with regular garbage.
Recycling fluorescent lamps: how should everything happen?
So, where to put a linear fluorescent lamp that has served its useful life in an enterprise or office? And how should energy-saving home lighting lamps be disposed of? If the answer to the first question is currently spelled out in legislation, the answer to the second is still ambiguous. But first things first.
Recycling of fluorescent lamps by enterprises and organizations
Linear fluorescent lamps, commonly used by businesses, contain significantly more mercury than CFLs. Therefore, proper disposal of lamps daylight requires special attention. Currently, legal entities and entrepreneurs are required to dispose of failed lamps according to a certain scheme, and this must be documented. And since the fact of purchasing light sources is probably listed in the accounting documentation, it is theoretically quite possible to track where the company disposes of broken lamps, and violators will face a serious fine.
Fluorescent lamps are classified as toxic waste and must be disposed of specialized organizations, with whom a legal entity needs to enter into a service agreement. The company should store used lamps in containers specially designed for this purpose, and send them for recycling at least once every six months. You should also keep in mind that you do not have the right to transport lamps as toxic waste on corporate transport - this requires carriers with a special license. A list of companies that accept used fluorescent lamps in your region can be found on the website of the Greenpeace organization in Russia.
Disposal of energy-saving lamps by private individuals
The issue of proper disposal of CFLs by ordinary consumers is still being studied. The best situation with this is in the capital. In particular, according to the order of the Moscow government, the recycling of energy-saving lamps in Moscow is entrusted to regional REUs or DEZs. These organizations must have special containers for fluorescent lamps, and you can give them fluorescent lamps for recycling free of charge. They are required to both collect and store and ensure recycling of fluorescent lamps.
In the regions of Russia, everything is somewhat more complicated, but first you should also contact the same REU or DEZ. It may turn out that they themselves do not accept fluorescent lamps and CFLs for recycling, but they will be able to tell you which organization in your city deals with this. If you have an IKEA store nearby, you can look into the “Exchange or return of purchases” department - they usually accept fluorescent lamps from any manufacturer for recycling.
These lighting sources have a long service life and allow significant savings. cash on electricity. Despite their popularity, recycling of fluorescent lamps in Moscow and the Moscow region raises a number of questions. Currently, there are not many companies that provide recycling services for fluorescent lamps. This is primarily due to the fact that they belong to the first hazard class; accordingly, increased requirements are imposed on the above procedure, and this is the collection, storage and disposal of fluorescent lamps. Only strict compliance with all the requirements of the above process will avoid environmental pollution. Recycling of fluorescent lamps in Moscow and the Moscow region is the main activity of our company. To use our services, you will need to conclude an agreement for the recycling of fluorescent lamps.
Recycling process
In our company, the disposal of fluorescent and mercury-containing lamps is carried out using special equipment and highly qualified employees. This process includes:
- waste crushing;
- separation of materials into glass cullet and aluminum bases;
- further processing of separated materials;
- demercurization of mercury
As for the last procedure, mercury is subjected to special chemical treatment using nitric acid. This procedure allows you to remove the volatility of mercury, in other words, after this it cannot evaporate, and, accordingly, have a negative effect on humans and environment.
