Lighting recycling in Australia: A complete guide to recycling lighting waste

The best way to tackle our growing lighting waste problem is to recycle old lights — here’s a guide to recycling lighting waste:

Australia is facing a serious lighting waste challenge, however lighting recycling is on the rise as people realise how easy and convenient it is.

Millions of old light bulbs, tubes and lamps are thrown into landfills around the country every year even though it’s bad for the environment.

A guide to recycling lighting waste

What types of lighting can be recycled?

Light bulbs that contain mercury must be recycled, including:

However, other types of lights that are mercury-free should also be recycled, such as:

How is lighting waste recycled?

As with any recycling program, one of the keys to success is simplifying the logistics. If we can deliver a really simple system for lighting recycling, Australia can become a star in diverting lighting waste from landfill.

For relatively small quantities of lighting waste, Ecocycle’s solution is to offer pre-paid collection boxes. We have long boxes for fluorescent tubes as well as cartons for globe-type lamps such as CFLs. These can also be used for halogen and incandescent lighting.

For organisations producing larger amounts of lighting waste we can provide on-site wheelie bins or large stillages – the sky is the limit. Whether it’s boxes or bins, all you need to do is fill them up then give us a call. Wherever you are in Australia, we take care of collection and safe recycling.

Households and small businesses with only a few lamps can get in on the act too. Many councils accept fluorescent tubes and CFLs for recycling, either at their offices or their local recycling depots. Check your council’s website for details or visit Recycling Near You.

Why recycle lighting waste?

There are a range of benefits to recycling lighting waste, including protecting the environment from the perilous effects of mercury contamination.

When fluorescent tubes and other mercury-containing lights end up in landfill, the mercury inside them can leak into the air, soil and waterways. Just one fluoro tube contains enough mercury to pollute 30,000 litres of water beyond a safe level of drinking.

Recycling lighting waste also helps recover resources, including mercury, aluminium and phosphor, that can be reused in new products. Recovering old resources is better for the environment because repurposing old materials in new products uses a fraction of the energy that mining new materials needs.

Start recycling lighting waste today

When it comes to lighting recycling, Australia is well placed to meet the challenge.

Ecocycle offers a range of complete logistical and recycling packages for all of the types of lighting waste anywhere in Australia.

To get on board, give us a call on 1300 32 62 92 or fill out the form below. One of our lighting waste specialists will be happy to recommend a lamp disposal and recycling solution to meet your needs.

Share:
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Email
News & Media

Related News

How your workplace can run its own e-waste recycling scheme

E-waste impact continues to grow

Without a doubt the impact of e-waste continues to grow with its significant impact on the environment.     Indeed, only 12% of the nation’s computers are recycled. At this time, Australia is the fourth highest generator of e-waste per capita in the world.  Poorly managed e-waste means heavy metals and hazardous waste such as lead, mercury, cadmium, and brominated flame retardants leak into the environment.  Clearly, the risks of data leaks are also increased if the device’s storage aren’t carefully treated.

Mercury Batch distiller

Managing Mercury Risk

Managing mercury risk is an important issue for many Australian industrial companies.  Mercury causes very harmful and lasting health impacts due to its toxicity.  The