Mercury Lamp Recycling Information for Canadians

Drum-Top Crusher Option

Drum-Top Crushers (DTCs) are currently in use at some facilities in Canada. This fact sheet should not be considered as a product or system endorsement by the Government of Canada. The content of this fact sheet is based on U.S. EPA fluorescent lamp recycling work (from 2006) (PDF, 234 kb) and is provided for information purposes only.

DTCs are used to crush fluorescent bulbs prior to recycling or disposal at a hazardous waste facility; they are not an alternative to recycling. For some companies and institutions, DTCs can help make the shipment of end-of-life fluorescent lamps more cost-effective. They reduce the volume of lamps transported to a recycler and, although it is more cost-effective (dollars per tonne) to ship heavier loads, hazardous materials often cost more to transport than non-hazardous materials. The determining factor is probably load weight; check with a hauler.

If there is an extended producer responsibility (EPR) program in your jurisdiction, or if you have selected a recycler to process your lamps, consult with both before you acquire a DTC since the use of these devices may not be acceptable by one or the other. If you are thinking of acquiring a DTC for the purposes of operating a lamp-processing business and then charging for that service, your province or territory may require you to become certified or approved by them. That certification may also require you to monitor emissions. Check with the authority that regulates this issue in your province or territory.

Most DTCs are designed to contain most of the mercury released from spent lamps when they are crushed. However, if poorly designed or constructed, or if not assembled or properly operated, the use of DTCs may result in significant releases of mercury into the environment and subsequent exposure to operators or others. Many DTCs are already in use in North America. Some DTC manufacturers have customers that have conducted emission tests on their products. Undertake your own due diligence by asking a potential DTC vendor for these references.

In 2006, the U.S. EPA conducted a major study on the performance and mercury emission control effectiveness of four DTCs. The EPA’s final report also provides information on important safety practices for crusher use. The major findings of the EPA study are summarized as follows:

Lamp Crusher Operation

During operation, all DTCs release some mercury to some degree during lamp crushing. Well-designed and properly operated DTCs release very little mercury and are below acceptable occupational health and safety limits. However, one DTC that was tested by the EPA released as high as nine times the U.S. Occupational Health and Safety Administration’s (OSHA) permissible exposure limit (PEL). Health Canada has several recommendations regarding mercury exposure limits that can be reviewed on its web site.

Drum and Filter Changes

After a drum is filled with crushed lamps, the crushing device must be removed from the top of the drum and the full drum must be sealed for shipment to a lamp recycler or disposal facility. This operation leaves the crushed lamps in the drum open to the air for a brief time period (2-10 minutes in the EPA’s Drum-Top Crusher Study), resulting in the highest mercury release from the drum during routine use and therefore potentially the highest level of exposure. 

Lamp Breakage Outside the Crusher

A number of spent lamps broke in the course of storing and handling them for crushing in the study. Lamps also occasionally broke as they were being inserted into the DTC feed tube, generally due to a jam in the feed tube or other problems in feeding the spent lamps into the DTC. Depending on the ventilation in the area, lamp breakage can result in mercury emissions above the PEL.

Releases Due to Incorrect Assembly

In order to contain the mercury, DTCs have many seals incorporated into their design. If seals are missing, damaged, or not fitted properly, mercury vapour can be released through the gaps. During one testing session, a DTC caused mercury levels in the containment area to exceed the PEL due to a missing seal. (Some of the DTCs now have monitoring equipment that can determine whether the crushing device is properly sealed to the drum or not. If the seal is not complete, the device may not work at all.)