EBN Recommendations on Lamp and Ballast Specification, Use and Disposal

FLUORESCENT LAMPS

• Specify T-8 fluorescent lamps. Thinner-diameter T-8 straight-tube fluorescent lamps should be specified rather than T-10 or T-12 lamps. Not only are the T-8 lamps more energy-efficient, but they also contain significantly less mercury. • Buy new lamps from a responsible company. Specify fluorescent lamps from a company that supports responsible regulatory controls on lamp disposal and that has made good-faith efforts to reduce mercury levels to the extent possible. Currently, Philips Lighting satisfies these criteria. • Recycle all lamps containing mercury. The following types of lamps contain mercury and should be recycled: fluorescent (straight-tube and compact), mercury-vapor, metal halide, high-pressure sodium, and neon. • Find a qualified lamp recycling company. There are more than 40 lamp recycling companies in the U.S. Many of these companies are affiliated with the Coalition of Lamp Recyclers. A list of lamp recyclers is also included in the EPA brochure Lighting Waste Disposal. • Relamp in bulk. Rather than replacing individual lamps when they fail, relamp entire rooms or floors at the same time. This will permit easier collection and shipping of lamps to a recycling facility. • Protect lamps from breakage. Remove lamps carefully and store used lamps in a location and manner that will prevent breakage. Some lamp recyclers will supply boxes for storage. Never break or crush lamps to consolidate, because mercury will be released. • Collect broken lamps. If lamps are accidentally broken, sweep up broken glass and powder and store in a sealed container. Wear proper protection. • Label containers of used lamps. Clearly identify boxes; for example: “Used fluorescent lamps for recycling.” • Deliver used lamps to a collection site for recycling. This may be an actual recycling site, or a consolidation site to prepare larger containers of lamps for shipping to a regional facility. In some areas and for smaller quantities of lamps, shipping lamps will be more cost-effective than delivery. The recycling company will provide shipping instructions. • Maintain careful records. To protect yourself from future liability, save invoices that track your used lamps. Include the following information: date of shipment, number of lamps, location from which lamps are shipped, destination of shipment. • Account for the cost of recycling. In most areas, you will have to pay to responsibly dispose of used fluorescent lamps. The cost of proper disposal should be factored into any life-cycle costing analysis that is done on relamping.

BALLASTS

• Specify electronic ballasts. These contain fewer chemicals—which might someday be found to be hazardous.

Electronic ballasts, such as this Advance Transformer Co. model, are free of PCBs and other harmful compounds. They also provide significant energy savings over conventional magnetic ballasts.

Source: Advance Transformer Co.
• Protect workers. Great care should be taken when replacing fluorescent ballasts or removing old fixtures. Chemical-resistant gloves should be worn when handling all ballasts. For handling leaky PCB ballasts, a chemical-resistant Tyvek® suit and respira-tor are also recommended. If there has been a fire near light fixtures, assume that ballasts are leaky. Contaminated clothing should be treated as hazardous waste along with the ballasts. • Inspect ballasts for likely PCB content. Unless a ballast is labeled “No PCBs,” assume that it contains PCB. • Separate PCB ballasts. As ballasts are removed, separate and store separately ballasts that are presumed to contain PCBs. Non-PCB ballasts are a lot less expensive to dispose of. • When removing ballasts, clip connecting wires close to ballasts. Most ballast recyclers charge by the pound, so try to minimize extra weight. • Store PCB ballasts in sealable containers. Store PCB ballasts in sealable steel drums labeled with yellow “Caution: Contains PCBs” labels. Leaky ballasts should be double-bagged before placing in drums. Standard 55-gallon drums with sealable lids are suitable for storing PCB ballasts and should be available locally. Do not overpack drums, as this may cause breakage or leakage. A full drum should contain no more than 250 ballasts, and it should weigh no more than 1,000 pounds (450 kg). • Handle PCB ballasts carefully. Do not drop or throw PCB ballasts, as this may cause breakage. • Identify a responsible ballast disposal company. The best disposal option from an environmental standpoint is capacitor removal and incineration, with recycling of other ballast com-ponents. The second-best option is whole-ballast incineration. Only PCB disposal companies that are registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency should be used. • Maintain careful records. Proper record keeping is critical with PCB ballast disposal. It can also be very complex. Check with your state environmental agency for proper procedures for labeling and shipping ballasts. To protect yourself from future liability, save invoices that track your used lamps.

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