Electrical Connection Spring 2015

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and NSW’s Energy Saving Scheme (ESS)
also have lamp recycling requirements as
part of their programs, and in 2013 South
Australia put an (albeit poorly policed) ban
on fluorescent lighting in landfill.
For companies operating under the
ISO 14001 Environmental Management
System, reporting of lighting waste can be
a key ingredient.
But with an estimated 95% of lamps still
ending up in landfill, take up has been slow
to say the least. This is disappointing when
you consider that mercury containing
lamps are the largest single category of
consumer products that contain mercury.
It is also indicative of the level of change
the sector will need to undergo when
recycling ultimately becomes mandatory
nation-wide. Indeed, perspectives will need
to be altered, but this is nothing new. The
automotive industry underwent a similar
change when mandatory tyre recycling
was introduced, and now little thought is
given to the added cost of recycling old
tyres when new ones are bought – it’s just
an accepted part of the process.
Similarly, the key to making lamp
recycling work for you as an electrical
contractor is to charge for the service. Due
to rising levels of environmental awareness
and education, perspectives are changing.
While in the past customers may have
balked at an extra charge, many now view
recycling programs in a favourable light
and are accepting of the fact that there are
costs involved.
Although Australia signed up to the
Minamata Convention in 2013, it is still
going to take some time to work through
the various layers of Federal Government
review. While it is difficult to put an
exact date on implementation, 2017 is
thought to be likely. In the meantime,
wise contractors should start to educate
clients about recycling their lamp waste
and for that matter, end-of-life luminaires
too. No longer can the outer-suburbs
be the dumping grounds for electrical
industry waste.
The dancing cats of Minamata Bay
were not possessed by demons or
infected with some exotic contagion,
they were poisoned by mercury. Greater
understanding of our actions and their
consequences shouldn’t be seen as
a negative but it does mean we are
responsible for affecting positive change.
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