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.
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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.
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
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?
