Lighting Recycling

Fluorescent tubes contain heavy metals that are toxic, and impose a major risk to human health and the environment. The unsafe disposal of mercury-containing products leads to the contamination of our food chain.

SUEZ's national light collection and recycling service provides businesses with a safe and efficient way of disposing of used fluorescent tubes, HID, CFL light globes and LED lights.

Facts about Fluorescent Tubes & Globes

50-60

million

fluorescent tubes and HD lamps consumed by Australians every year

of all consumed fluorescent lights are recycled

of mercury-containing lamps are sent to landfill in Australia

Description

What is Fluorescent lighting recycling?

The safe collection and recycling of mercury-containing lamps is important in avoiding the serious impact of mercury entering the environment. If these products are disposed of to the landfill the mercury contained in one fluorescent tube can pollute 30,000 litres of water.

What goes in the fluorescent tubes & globes bin?

ACCEPTED

Fluorescent tubes & globes
Linear fluorescent lamps
Mercury vapour lamps
Metal halide lamps
Sodium vapour lamps

NON-ACCEPTED

Plastic, metal & glass
Liquids
Chemicals
Food & garden organics

Acceptance criteria varies across States and Territories.

Bin and container options

Where do Fluorescent tubes & globes go?

SUEZ provides a variety of options for the safe collection of used mercury-containing lighting waste as well as LED lights:

4 and 5 foot fluorescent tube collection boxes that hold up to 50 and 100 tubes respectively
Lamp and globe boxes
Stillages for larger commercial sites

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Process

What happens to fluorescent tubes and globes?

Tubes and globes are crushed and the material is sorted into individual components for resource recovery:

Aluminium from the tube ends is separated and then reused in the manufacturing of new products
Glass is recycled into glass wool used for home insulation
Mercury is distilled from phosphor powder and mainly used in dental amalgam
Phosphor powder is used in fertiliser

What happens to fluorescent tubes and globes?

To help keep our environment safe and mercury out of landfills, SUEZ is proud to be a foundation signatory member of the national FluoroCycle scheme. Visit the FluoroCycle website to find out more information about this scheme.