Performance Lighting launches fluorescent lamp recycling service

Performance Lighting with the help of Storage Solutions of Corinth have introduced one of the area's first public fluorescent lamp recycling service to provide consumers and businesses with a safe and environmentally friendly method for disposing of spent mercury laden fluorescent lamps. The recycling center is located at the Storage Solutions of Corinth and is open during normal business hours.

"The average fluorescent lamp can contain enough mercury to contaminate 7,000 gallons of drinking water," said Marti Hector, president of Performance Lighting. "We feel that it is our responsibility to help protect our community and our environment."

Every fluorescent lamp contains mercury, an element labeled by the Environmental Protection Agency as hazardous. In order to produce light, electricity is passed through a vapor of mercury atoms and converted to ultraviolet light. The ultraviolet light reacts with the phosphors on the glass to produce visible light. Fluorescent lamps can be as much as 5 times more efficient than incandescent lamps in converting electricity to light.

"Our recycling program meets the needs of both the residential consumer and the commercial customer," said Hector.

"For the residential consumer who is being encouraged to use compact fluorescent lamps, CFLs, we offer free on-site light bulb recycling. For businesses using linear fluorescents and other types of mercury containing lamps we offer a prepaid container program that includes everything they will need to package spent lamps, ship them to the closest mercury reclamation recycling center and receive a certificate of recycling."

"Performance Lighting's lamp recycling program is only a first step," said Hector. "We cannot possibly hope to reach the entire community by ourselves. We are actively seeking other businesses to partner with us to promote CFL recycling."

An estimated 550 million fluorescent lamps are taken out of service every year, the bulk of which are discarded in local landfills. More than 90 percent of all fluorescent lamps are used in office buildings. However, the majority of commercial properties are not recycling their lamps. These properties risk liabilities and are likely to be out of compliance with the U.S. Department of Environmental Quality's hazardous waste regulations.