Every year many millions of incandescent light bulbs, fluorescent tubes, compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) and LED lamps get dumped into landfills around Australia.
That contributes to a number of major problems, all of which can be avoided by recycling old lighting.
Here are five main benefits of recycling:
1. Keep harmful materials out of the environment
Possibly the greatest lighting waste hazard is the mercury contained in fluoro tubes, CFLs and vapour lamps. When disposed of into landfill, this mercury can leach into waterways and get flushed into the ocean where it gets converted to highly toxic methylmercury. This can end up in the fish we eat.
Recycling mercury-containing lighting recovers this mercury so it can be safely used again, such as in dental amalgam.
Mercury-containing lighting is rapidly being replaced by LED lighting. While this avoids the mercury problem these lights can contain other hazardous materials, including lead, copper and nickel.
Once again, recycling is the best way to manage these hazards.
2. Save your business money
There are several ways in which lighting recycling can save your business money. These range from reduced disposal costs today to lower equipment costs in the future. Recycling can even help you retain your most talented employees.
3. Recover non-renewable resources
Glass, aluminium, plastic, steel, mercury, lead and copper are non-renewable resources so should be recycled at every opportunity.
With the world’s insatiable appetite for electronic goods, including lighting, showing no signs of diminishing, we will increasingly rely on recycling to provide our manufacturers with the materials they need to make new stuff.
4. Show a commitment to responsible recycling
More and more, clients and customers, employees and the general public are keeping an eye on the environmental performance of the companies they engage with.
Recycling is one of the most fundamental activities businesses can undertake to demonstrate that they are environmentally responsible members of the community.
Of course, it’s easy to say one thing and do another, so it’s important to be able to produce documentary evidence to back up any environmental claims.
Ecocycle provides recycling certificates that detail the amount and type of waste recycled, to demonstrate that your recycling activities are more than hot air.
5. Recycling is incredibly easy
Can you make a phone call? Then you can set up a lighting recycling program for your business. It really is that easy.
Our lighting waste collection and recycling solutions range from carton-size to truck loads. We deliver pre-paid cartons, wheelie bins, Nally bins or drums to your business and when they are full we swap the full bins for empty ones. In other words, we take care of everything.
Is your business reaping the multiple benefits of lighting recycling? If not, call us on 1300 32 62 92 or fill out the form below, and ask one of our lighting recycling experts run through the options with you.
