Mercury Lamp Recycling Information for Canadians

How to Handle and Store Spent Lamps in a Commercial Setting

There are many things that businesses can do to ensure the safe handling and storage of spent fluorescent lamps. It is important to prevent breakage so lamps can be properly recycled and mercury can be kept out of the environment. The following recommendations are consistent with U.S. EPA recommendations (PDF, 234 kb) for fluorescent lamp handling and storage.

Location – Designate an area within your facility to store lamps. Storage locations should be away from high-traffic areas; bigger facilities may need more than one location for easier access. The storage rooms should be clean, dry, and free of broken lamp debris. Ideally, this area would have an air handling system that is independent from the rest of the building and that does not re-circulate or re-introduce air through vents and intakes.

Types of storage containers for intact lamps – Spent lamps should be stored and packed carefully in order to help prevent breakage and exposure to mercury. To this end, you should work with your recycler to fully understand the proper procedures for filling and securing boxes or containers of lamps. Often recyclers will suggest storing spent lamps in their original packaging or will offer specially made lamp containers for spent lamp storage.

How to handle broken lamps – Since mercury is very toxic to the human nervous system and does not break down in the environment, it is extremely important to properly handle and dispose of broken mercury-containing lamps. Please refer to the fact sheet entitled “How to Handle Broken Mercury-Containing Lamps.”

Storing broken lamps – Keep broken lamps in a sealed container (preferably glass or metal), remove the container from the building, and dispose of it appropriately as soon as possible; broken mercury-containing lamps should be treated as hazardous waste. Keep the container in a cool place, away from high-traffic areas. Containers of broken lamps should not be opened to add or remove broken lamps.

Drum-top crushers – Drum-top crushers are used to reduce the volume of spent fluorescent lamps, typically at the point of generation. Some concerns exist about the design and operation of these devices. In fact, industry stewards in Canada may or may not support the use of these units although, from a collection/storage and transportation perspective, they do provide some benefits. According to one manufacturer, one 45-gallon drum can hold over 1000 four-foot-long T8 fluorescent lamps. For more discussion, please refer to the fact sheet on drum-top crushers.