Where to donate fluorescent lamps. Where to return energy-saving light bulbs after use

In search of comfort and ways to save energy, man invented fluorescent light bulb. At home and in the office, in educational institution and storage room, in production workshop– wherever a lot is needed good lighting, use such light sources. On the scale of Moscow, these are millions of devices. Despite their effectiveness, they still fail. As a result, it is required recycling of used lamps. Artificial lighting has opened up opportunities for businesses to operate around the clock. However, its enormous benefits come with the generation of hazardous waste - the lamps have a relatively short service life and therefore often require replacement. Enterprises do not have the right to throw them into garbage containers or landfills. According to the law, only disposal or recycling of lamps.

Why recycle lamps?

Proper disposal of lamps is the only way protect the environment from pollution. The greatest danger is mercury vapor, without which the production of gas-discharge lamps is impossible. If you throw a lamp into a landfill, then with a high degree of probability the glass bulb will be damaged and toxic fumes will enter the air.

However, not only vapors, but also other components of lamps are dangerous for the ecosphere. For example, glass flasks, although they decompose into sand, but this process takes a hundred years. It is also worth remembering tungsten filaments, metal bases and other parts that almost do not disintegrate under the influence of the external environment. This is why professional disposal of lamps is so important to prevent them from entering the environment.

It is important to know that this light source is filled with mercury, which is not safe if it leaks. Among wastes, this compound belongs to the first hazard class. When using lamps in large quantities, you need to take care of their careful storage and subsequent destruction.

If you are interested in the cost of recycling lamps in Moscow, contact us to make a calculation (free). We have everything Required documents for the provision of services for the disposal of mercury-containing lamps. For this purpose it is used own equipment, waste removal is carried out by company transport. You can order special storage containers from us. The final price includes the entire range of services.

What lamps do we recycle:

Incandescent lamp. This variety is chosen for its attractive price - it has no other advantages. In addition, there are many disadvantages, for example, a yellow glow, short term operation, increased energy consumption. However, it appeared earlier than the others, so it still holds the palm and is used everywhere.
Halogen lamps. The only difference between this type and incandescent lamps is that an inert gas containing iodine and bromine is added to the glass lampshade. Thanks to such impurities, tungsten retains its ability to glow longer when heated. In this case, the lamp can have a cold or warm glow. Regarding energy consumption, we can say that halogen options are on par with incandescent lamps.
Fluorescent lamps. This variety allows you to save electricity - its consumption becomes five times less. Serious manufacturers of lamps of this type provide their products with a 5-year warranty. If they fail before this period, they are replaced.
LED bulbs. This variety has become a revolutionary innovation in last years. Most lighting equipment already works on such lamps. Their main advantage is their comparative cheapness and efficiency.
In addition, there are xenon flash lamps, neon lights, xenon arc lamps, sodium gas discharge lamps and arc lamps. Regardless of the type of electric light source in mandatory recycling or recycling of lamps is done.

Why can you trust our company to recycle lamps?

Companies and institutions should be interested in submitting lamps for recycling. Only qualified specialists who know how to work in accordance with current legislation can handle this. The Waste Management Group of Companies is engaged in the disposal of waste of any hazard class. We recycle light bulbs in accordance with current legislation. Upon completion of such work, documents are prepared for reporting to regulatory authorities - in the event of an inspection, your company will avoid penalties.

Our company has been working in the field of recyclable materials since 2007. We dispose of all types of waste. We have licenses to provide waste removal and disposal services different classes danger. We set the tariff based on the volume of work performed, its complexity and danger. Clients with whom we cooperate on an ongoing basis believe that our price corresponds to the quality. To find out how much it costs lamp recycling, you can call or leave a request. A personal manager is assigned to you. After signing the contract, the work will be completed quickly. The disposal certificate will be delivered by courier.

Disposal fluorescent lamps– a process important for protection environment. But, unfortunately, not every person knows how to recycle fluorescent lamps and where to recycle them. And enterprises often treat this issue negligently. The need for proper disposal of “dangerous” lighting devices will be discussed.

It is known that daylight lighting devices contain a certain amount of mercury. Therefore, they are also called mercury, or mercury-containing. The presence of toxic metal in the device dictates special rules for the handling and disposal of fluorescent lamps.

Proper disposal of mercury lamps is necessary for the following reasons:

Waste containing mercury is waste of hazard class 1. The content of this metal in different types of mercury lighting devices varies from 1 mg to 70 mg of mercury. It is easy to guess that throwing lamps into landfills and landfills in quantities of many thousands or even millions will lead to global soil pollution, groundwater, to poisoning of living organisms.
Mercury-containing waste, as noted earlier, belongs to class 1, and this is the most toxic waste hazard class of the entire classification. When mercury enters the human body, it negatively affects all organs. If there is excessive penetration of this dangerous metal Death can occur inside a person.
Mercury from used devices can form equally toxic compounds (for example, methylmercury cation), which also pose a threat to all living organisms.
Keep mercury lamps It’s also not possible at home or at a business, because... the casing of such devices is easily damaged, and mercury vapor enters the environment and the human body.

Important! For these main reasons, we can conclude that you cannot simply throw lighting fixtures containing mercury into the trash or landfill. Disposal of fluorescent lamps in accordance with all safety regulations is necessary to protect the environment and public health.

Recycling companies. Service cost

Where can I dispose of used mercury-containing fluorescent lamps? The question is relevant for both ordinary residents and business owners.

Almost all major cities In our country, there are companies for recycling waste fluorescent lamps. Such companies are licensed to carry out recycling different types household waste, including hazardous waste. Firms, as a rule, carry out removal, collection, recycling and disposal of light bulbs. Fluorescent lamps are recycled.

How much does the service cost? The cost of recycling light bulbs varies depending on the type. So, for example, in one of the Moscow companies, these devices are disposed of at the following prices:

straight fluorescent lamp – 16 RUR/piece;
DRL – 20 rub./piece;
solarium lamp – 35 RUR/piece;
mercury lamps, broken - 400 rub./kg.

Enterprises with such companies can enter into an agreement for the disposal of used light bulbs. Such a disposal agreement is usually concluded for a year; the price for annual service varies depending on each specific company and the locality in which this company operates. Before selecting a performing company and concluding an agreement with it, the customer enterprise draws up and puts forward a technical specification for the disposal of mercury-containing lamps, which specifies the subject of the agreement, work requirements, pricing procedures, conditions, etc.

One of the largest enterprises, Ecotrom, is engaged in the disposal and recycling of used bactericidal lamps, light bulbs such as DRL, DNAT, MGL, etc., as well as other mercury-containing waste.

An application must be sent to the lighting recycling company to dispose of used devices from a particular enterprise. Then company representatives (after receiving payment for the service) remove the devices, after which they are sent for neutralization and recycling.

The problem is that the vast majority of lighting recycling companies and collection points are located only in large Russian cities. For this reason, people living in small populated areas, it is often not possible to properly dispose of lighting fixtures containing mercury. To solve this problem, mobile recycling units (so-called “ecomobiles” - cars with special equipment) of lamps and other mercury-containing waste are used. However, today this problem still remains relevant.

Recycling process, necessary equipment

There are 4 main methods in the world that allow you to dispose of lighting fixtures containing mercury:

Mechanical.
Mechanical-chemical. The first two methods are most often used in Australia. At elevated temperatures, the toxic metal is exposed to cement dust. The process continues for 12 hours. As a result, an insoluble sediment is formed, which does not pose a threat to the environment and is therefore simply disposed of.
Thermal.
Thermal vacuum with cryocondensation.

In Russia, the most common method is thermal vacuum exposure. The procedure for disposing of lamps filled with mercury vapor using this method is as follows. First, recyclable lighting fixtures are collected and stored. A special sealed container is used in which the lamps are stored until immediate destruction. When the devices are placed in the oven, they are removed from their packaging. Next, the furnace is heated to 400 o C, at this temperature the mercury transitions into a gaseous state, and the resulting gas is removed through the hood.

The fourth method is less popular in Russia. Its essence is that mercury-containing lamps are broken with a knife in a chamber designed for this purpose. Then the air is pumped out and the temperature is raised to 450 o C. The resulting gaseous mercury is collected in a “trap”, in which it is cooled with liquid nitrogen.

The process uses special recycling equipment. Some Russian companies They also offer plants for recycling mercury lighting fixtures. For example, vibro-pneumatic installations "Ekotrom-2".

This short video was made about what the installation for recycling mercury lighting devices looks like and what the principle of its operation is.

Government Decree on the recycling of fluorescent lamps

This Resolution was adopted on September 3, 2010. It states that disposal of mercury-containing lamps can only be carried out by licensed organizations.

The document also contains information on what to do in the event of an incident. mercury pollution(if the integrity of the body of the mercury lighting device is damaged). In such emergency situations individuals, budget organizations, commercial organizations it is necessary to evacuate people and call the appropriate services to eliminate the consequences. If a single device breaks, then the company’s employees can carry out demercurization themselves - the process of removing mercury (mercury is an element for which the astronomical symbol of the planet Mercury is used). In this case, a special demercurization kit is required, and there must also be instructions for the disposal of mercury-containing lamps.

Important! Almost all companies and enterprises in Russia must draw up a waste passport for fluorescent lamps and keep a log of generated mercury-containing waste (sample below).

Used fluorescent lighting devices are waste, the characteristics of which (waste density, hazard class, composition, regulatory calculations) can be studied in the Directory of Industrial and Consumer Waste.

About the disposal of bactericidal lamps

The bactericidal (ultraviolet) lamp also contains mercury vapor. Therefore, the elimination of bactericidal lamps in health care facilities and in any other organizations is carried out with the help of specialized companies. At the same time, first, devices are accumulated in organizations, they are stored in a special sealed container, and only then the entire accumulated number of devices is transferred for recycling. When disposing of bactericidal lighting devices, the same methods are used as when recycling other mercury-containing light bulbs.

How to recycle tanning lamps

Since these tanning bed products also contain mercury, they must be disposed of properly. To do this, you need to contact a specialized company or service center for solarium maintenance. Details of the liquidation procedure can be found in Government Resolution No. 681 (which was already mentioned earlier).

Should incandescent light bulbs be recycled?

How to recycle incandescent lamps, is there any need to do this at all? in a special way? Previously widespread incandescent lamps are rapidly losing their positions. Such devices use tungsten filament and inert gases. This type of lighting device has low efficiency. However, it also has a significant advantage compared to devices containing mercury, namely, incandescent lamps do not pose a threat to the environment and do not require special recycling technology. Although processing this kind of waste makes it possible to obtain recyclable materials for various industries.

How and where to dispose of halogen lighting fixtures

Incandescent lamps include halogen lighting devices, the gas mixture of which includes halogens. Such used devices are not hazardous to human health or the environment. Therefore, recycling of halogen lamps usually occurs in a simple way - through garbage cans. Also, containers for leftover materials can be used to dispose of used lighting fixtures. However, such glass bulbs are not thrown into containers intended for bottle glass, because the structure of their material is different from the structure of glass bottles.

Disposal of energy-saving lamps should be carried out by specialists who will neutralize the devices without negative consequences for the environment and human health. It is important that every person understands the importance of this process, especially if this person is the owner of an enterprise where such waste is generated in huge quantities.

The main problem of owners of economical light sources that run on gas is that they often do not know how to properly get rid of such a lamp. We propose to consider how fluorescent lamps are recycled, how much this activity costs in different cities Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine, as well as which organization is involved in this.

Why is recycling needed?

Recycling and recycling of fluorescent and mercury-containing lamps is the recovery of waste material from the lamp of the same name (mercury, mercury) for the production of new products. Glass tubes can be turned into new glass products, brass and aluminum end caps can be reused as additional chip parts, and the interior coating is most often recycled for professional paint pigments. Even mercury is used to refill energy-saving lamps.

Photo – Mercury disposal

Large companies even enter into an agreement for the recycling of fluorescent lamps, because... Every year, more than 60,000 light sources are thrown away or scrapped, the total mercury content of which can poison hectares of land.

The amount of mercury in fluorescent lamps ranges from 3 to 46 mg, depending on the size of the lamp and the age. New lamps contain less mercury to 3-4 mg and are sold as low mercury. Only a few tenths of a milligram of mercury are required to maintain light, but lamps must include more of the substance to compensate for the portion of the mercury that is absorbed by the lamp's internal parts to maintain the arc. Mercury-free gas discharge sources have significantly lower production visible light, about half; however, mercury remains an important component of fluorescent lamps.

Photo – Demercurization

A broken luminescent model will release mercury into external environment. Therefore, before disposing of the lamp, it must not be broken. 99% of mercury is typically found in phosphorus, especially in fixtures that are near their end of life.

Video: features and problems of recycling

How to recycle waste fluorescent lamps: instructions

The best way to get rid of fluorescent lamps is not to throw them in the trash, but to recycle them instead. Fluorescent models are completely safe to use. But if the tube is damaged, the poisons will begin to evaporate and harm the environment. The container for recycling fluorescent lamps is a sealed housing made of a special alloy of glass or alloy steel. There is a hole on the lid or on the side that closes with an automatic latch. As soon as you push the lamp into it, the lid closes hermetically, vapors do not penetrate outside, everything is completely safe.

Photo – Container

Photo – view of the recycling container

You need to understand that there is a corresponding law Russian Federation No. 187, art. 39, according to which you are required to pay a fine if you disposed of potentially hazardous waste (fluorescent lamps) in an unauthorized way, or if you independently installed a recycling container in the wrong place, and also organized unauthorized removal of waste from the territory where it was stored.

Photo – Improper disposal

Which lamps can be recycled? according to safety precautions without calling specialists from government agencies:

Compact fluorescent lamps (small tubes or round lamps like protected housing and communal services), which have a high hazard class;
Fluorescent models of all shapes and sizes (tubes, circles, U-shaped, tanning lamps and black lights);
Intensive high-discharge options (for example, NPP), they are usually used for outdoor lighting (they use compounds of hazardous gases: metal halides, mercury vapor and high-pressure sodium);
Neon lights, including LED lights if necessary. They do not pose a threat of infection, but they pollute natural resources.

How to properly dispose of fluorescent lamps:

Do not throw or break under any circumstances.

The integrity of the shell must not be compromised. If for some reason the pipe breaks accidentally, then you need to organize the collection and transportation of the part in a sealed container. Wear gloves, safety glasses, a face shield and overalls when picking up debris. Pick up even small pieces by patting the collection area with sticky side tape and a damp cloth. Do not use a vacuum cleaner to vacuum up lamp debris, as a standard vacuum will spread mercury-containing dust throughout the area and contribute to contamination. Ventilate the work area and reduce its temperature. Finally, check with local authorities to see where hazardous waste can be disposed of. Then contact state-owned enterprises, which, with the help special devices measure the level of hazardous particles in the air. Drawing of lamp recycling process.jpg

Pack the lamps correctly;

Many companies, when disposing of lamps, pack them incorrectly, neglecting basic safety standards. It is necessary to wrap the glass pipe without plastic film, but with special shells that form a vacuum in the lamp. This technology promotes maximum safe transportation. Basic requirements for transportation: it can withstand low temperature to prevent particles from entering the air. The containers are also selected in a special way; polyvinyl chloride film is most often used. It looks like a regular shell for protection household appliances, but more dense in structure.

If you follow all these rules, you will be able to dispose of hazardous waste as safely and quickly as possible.

Price overview

It can be quite difficult to carry out all of the above points on your own, especially if you want to eliminate lamps in bulk. We propose to consider the cost of recycling fluorescent lamps NNP, DRL, as well as (storage, transportation) offered by city companies. Minimum cost of recycling 1 lamp:

City	Price, rubles	City	Price, rubles
Minsk	15	Voronezh	18
Donetsk	16	Almaty	15
Barnaul	18	Bratsk	15
Volgograd	15	Vologda	15
Dnepropetrovsk	20	Ekaterinburg	15
Izhevsk	15	Yoshkar-Ola	18
Lipetsk	15	Irkutsk	18
Kazan	18	Kyiv	20
Nizhny Novgorod	18	Nefteyugansk	18
Rostov-on-Don	15	Moscow	18
Novosibirsk	15	Odessa	18
Odintsovo	18	Omsk	15
Permian	18	Saint Petersburg	20
Podolsk	15	Ryazan	15
Samara	15	Saratov	18
Sevastopol	18	Syktyvkar	15
Tomsk	20	Tyumen	15
Kharkiv	18	Chelyabinsk	15
Shchelkovo	15	Yaroslavl	15
Balashikha	15	Chekhov	18

Ecotron is the most famous company that received the OKPD tender for the recycling of fluorescent lamps GOST 30772-2001. This company organizes demercurization, recycling of solid waste, mercury removal, lamp recycling, prepares documents for business partners, and much more. Consultation is free.

Energy-saving (fluorescent) lamps are increasingly being used instead of incandescent lamps. They are much more profitable and help save energy. New lamps must also be recycled, just like old ones. Only the technology for destroying lighting fixtures differs. You need to know how to dispose of energy-saving light bulbs so as not to harm the environment and people.

Fluorescent lighting contains mercury. Therefore, energy-saving lamps should not be disposed of with other waste.

Disposal of energy-saving light bulbs

Mercury is very dangerous and toxic substance. IN energy saving lamps she poses no threat as long as she is behind glass. A discarded lamp is not dangerous until it is broken. If the glass is damaged, then toxic fumes will escape into the atmosphere. For this reason, you should not throw fluorescent lamps into garbage chutes or household waste containers. Moreover, it is unacceptable to store them at home in a trash can or bucket.

Such lamps must be disposed of at special enterprises where the necessary conditions have been created.

First, the devices are divided into their constituent components.
Everyone goes through their own recycling journey.
Some of the recycled materials can then be reused.
Toxic and poisonous substances are filled with cement and sent to special burial sites.

According to the law, failed fluorescent lamps must be accepted at housing offices and REUs. There are also private companies that collect burnt or broken products. They then send them to factories. There the phosphor, which contains mercury, is separated, then treated with demercurizing chemicals. The waste is covered with cement and packed in sealed containers.

Delivery of energy-saving light bulbs

The recycling process is quite expensive. Therefore, in Russia there are not many companies that collect and distribute energy-saving lamps, and there are not many enterprises for processing products. To be destroyed, they must be separated from other garbage and placed in an individual container.

Where to donate energy-saving light bulbs?

They can be handed over to the service departments of IKEA hypermarkets. These stores have special containers for these purposes.
Also, separate tanks are located in some cities in the building maintenance and repair departments. These organizations are required to accept burnt out or broken fluorescent lamps.
Products are handed over to industrial organizations and enterprises that service electrical networks or lighting. These companies cooperate with companies for the disposal of toxic and toxic household waste.

However, not all cities have well-known drop-off points for energy-saving lamps. And most citizens will not go to the other end of the city to recycle one lamp. Therefore, in many localities there are special courier services that collect burnt out or broken fluorescent devices. Phone numbers of such companies can be found via the Internet. Couriers arrive when called and pick up broken energy-saving lamps.

You can also contact your building management with a request to place special containers next to garbage disposals.
Some community activists organize collections of products containing mercury. To do this, they install small containers and then hand over the products themselves to government recycling centers.

However, there are companies that charge money for such services, so only large industrial enterprises work directly with them.

You can return broken energy-saving lamps at battery collection points. They are disposed of correctly there. It is much easier to negotiate with management to give the products to a full-time electrician. His responsibilities include handing over the lamps for further recycling.

Features of recycling

Before throwing away garbage, you need to sort it. Can't be put in one bucket food waste, batteries and used energy-saving lamps. They are packaged in separate sealed bags. If there are no special containers nearby, you can collect several lamps and then take them to collection points.

If the product burns out and breaks at home, you can call the rescue service. Specialists will help establish the level of safety in the apartment and treat the area where the surface comes into contact with the broken fluorescent lamp. It should not be thrown into the general garbage disposal. The products contain very little mercury, but in landfills it can accumulate in dangerous quantities, which will negatively affect the environment.

What to do if an energy-saving light bulb breaks at home?

If an energy-saving lamp breaks at home, you must immediately isolate the room from people and animals. It is enough to transfer them to another room. Next, you need to close the door to the dangerous room or tightly drape the entrance hole with curtains. This will prevent the mercury from spreading throughout the house.

In the room where the lamp broke, you need to open the window for 20-30 minutes. During this time, toxic fumes will disappear from the room. It is important to avoid a draft so that the wind does not carry the fragments everywhere. To collect lamp fragments, you need to attach a damp cloth or gauze bandage to your face, and put on rubber gloves on your hands. Take two pieces of thick cardboard. One will be used instead of a scoop, the other will rake up the fragments.

They are poured into a jar of water or into an airtight container, then put into a trash bag. If there is a carpet in the room, you need to shake it out in the fresh air and hang it on the balcony to air for several hours. Floors are thoroughly washed with potassium permanganate or bleach. After completing these steps, you need to call the housing office or the Ministry of Emergency Situations and find out what to do with the fragments.

Energy-saving lamps contain much less mercury than thermometers. There is approximately 30 mg of toxic substance inside luminescent products. In energy-saving lamps it is only 5 mg, and in a thermometer it is almost 100 times more. Therefore, even if fragments hit the carpet or floor, knocking out, ventilating the room and disinfecting the surfaces in it is enough to prevent the spread of toxic fumes.

Many cities have special teams who arrive when called, check an apartment or house for toxicity and take away lamp fragments for disposal. If such services are not available, then you need to call the housing office or repair companies.

Energy-saving products operate on mercury vapor. Despite the minimal amount in lamps hazardous substances, they can cause serious poisoning if the protective shell (glass) is damaged. Low-quality products that have lasted less than 6-12 months can be returned back to the store. This will solve the problem of how to dispose of the lamp yourself. You need to do this yourself only if the product burns out or breaks after its intended service life.

Lamps should not be thrown away with others. household waste, since mercury vapor enters the atmosphere, it even seeps through the ground. As a result, everyone who is near this place will have to inhale poisoned air. This causes the kidneys, respiratory organs, and heart to malfunction. Let's prevent this together by disposing of hazardous waste responsibly.