The Federal Minister for the Environment, The Hon. Greg Hunt MP, has announced a new initiative for keeping mercury out of landill.

“The Australian Government today took another step to keeping mercury out of landfill with the accreditation of Lighting Council Australia’s Fluorocycle initiative– a voluntary industry-led product stewardship approach,” he says.

“Accreditation is the Government’s seal of approval for the Fluorocycle scheme through which industry has committed to doubling its recycling of mercury-containing fluorescent tubes and lamps and reducing the amount of mercury going to landfill. Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that is harmful to the environment and to human health. It can remain in the atmosphere for a year and make its way into marine and aquatic food chains.

“Under FluoroCycle, organisations from the commercial and public lighting sectors commit to recycling their own mercury-containing lamps. These sectors produce 90% of waste lamps.

“Product stewardship acknowledges that those involved in producing, selling, using and disposing of products have a shared responsibility to ensure that those products are managed in a way that reduces their impact, throughout their lifecycle, on the environment, human health and safety.

“Fluorocycle is a good example of shared responsibility in action: the big users of lamps undertake the safe recycling of the products they use and the lighting manufacturers and importers work together through Lighting Council Australia to operate the scheme.

“Accredited voluntary product stewardship arrangements are authorised to use the Government’s Product Stewardship logo. Like the National Heart Foundation’s ‘Tick of Approval’ or the National Energy Rating labels, the Australian Government’s Product Stewardship logo represents the quality of the expected outcomes of any accredited program.

“Fluorocycle’s use of the logo will signal to business and the community that the scheme represents Australian best practice, if not world’s best practice, for a scheme of its type to manage end of life disposal of their mercury-containing lamps.

“FluoroCycle has 230 signatories including commercial users, building and facilities managers, government departments, recyclers and others involved in the recycling and re-use process.

“I encourage business and the community to support participating organisations and ask non-household users of mercury-containing lamps to consider joining FluoroCycle.”

For more information http://www.environment.gov.au/settlements/waste/product-stewardship/voluntary-arrangements/index.html.