WEEE

The market for WEEE Lamps in Western Europe (including Switzerland and Norway) can be estimated at approximately 600 million pieces, over 90% of these Lamps being manufactured by ELC members. The impact on the efficiency of the waste management scheme for Lamps in the EU will, to a certain extent, depend on the protection of the responsible producers and financial contributors from free riders who do not contribute to the scheme.

The definition of the scope of WEEE legislation covers all high efficiency Lamps. These "WEEE Lamps" are set out in illustrative format at Annex 1.

The WEEE Directive requires therefore that WEEE Lamps be collected and recycled as of 13 August 2005 and that, by 31 December 2006, a recovery rate of 80% be achieved (article 7.2.d).
Furthermore, in line with the principle of producer responsibility, the Directive requires that, by rule with some exceptions, each manufacturer finances the cost of collection and recycling for the products he has placed on the market. The Directive draws a distinction between "private" and "non-private households". It is important to note at this stage that WEEE from a "private household" covers waste products not only from homes but also from "commercial, industrial, institutional and other sources, which, because of its nature and quality, is similar to that from private households" (article 3(k)). This particular definition therefore extends the parameters to cover also such Lamps as for schools and universities, all small businesses, manufacturing plants and offices.

For WEEE from private households, of products placed on the market prior to 13 August 2005, i.e. historical waste, EU legislation requires that producers collectively finance their collection, treatment, recovery and disposal. The producers may display a visible fee for a transitional period of eight years (until 13 February 2011) to show the consumers the cost of collection and recycling at the time of sale (article 8.3.). EU legislators expect the costs to be internalised into the product price thereafter, and that all historical products will have been collected by then.

For products placed on the market after 13 August 2005, the manufacturers must be individually responsible for financing the waste generated by their appliances and may manage their obligations for collection and treatment of WEEE either individually or through collective schemes.

In order to prove that they can cover the waste management costs of future waste, producers must either participate in the appropriate schemes or provide recycling insurance or a blocked bank account guarantee when putting products on to the market (article 8.2.).

For WEEE from non-private households, from products falling under the definition of historical waste, the Directive requires that the financing of the costs of their waste management be provided for by producers, and Member States may as an alternative, provide that users other than private households be made partly or totally responsible for this financing. A recently proposed amendment to article 91 , was tabled to limit the financial implications for producers to the costs for waste equipment taken back when a new product is sold. It is also aimed at eliminating the problem of waste from companies which sold products in the past, without their being a similar product placed on the market thereafter, and that no longer exist.

For the same products placed on the market after August 2005, the Directive simply states that producers will be responsible for financing their collection, treatment recovery and environmentally sound disposal. Importantly again, the Directive (article 9) introduces a possible exception by stating that, producers and users other than private households may conclude agreements stipulating other financing methods.

Materials & Substances

Mercury in lamps

In the past decades, lamp manufacturers have put considerable effort into establishing the optimal performance of lamps consistent with the minimum use of substances that have been identified by society as being hazardous such as mercury in gas discharge lamps. Technical advances in the production process and materials applied enable the amount of mercury to be reduced without compromising light output or lamp life span.

Reduction of the mercury content in Fluorescent lamps
over the last 20 years (best available technology)

The mass balance of mercury over the life cycle

Taking into account the amount of mercury released during electricity generation mainly from coal fired power stations, mercury containing fluorescent lamps, apart from short life CFL, do reduce the total amount of mercury from a life cycle perspective compared to filament lamps which themselves are mercury free. This is due to the fact that the former use less electricity to produce the same amount of light. In practice, this is applicable to other gas discharge lamp types too.

Another feature of these mercury-containing lamps is that the recovery of mercury at the end of lamp life can be controlled by proven lamp-recycling techniques. In contrast, mercury mobilised from the generation of electrical energy used by low energy efficient filament lamps is emitted to the atmosphere and cannot be captured.

Amount of mercury released for different lamp type
applications as seen from life cycle perspective

Weight reduction in fluorescent tubes

The use of fluorescent powders that are more resistant to UV degradation has allowed the development of straight fluorescent lamps with smaller tube diameters. This size reduction, as well as allowing the weight of the glass envelope to be reduced, also reduces the amounts of other compounds used such as fluorescent powder and mercury. Today tubes with diameters of 38 mm are only produced as specialities and they have been completely substituted for general applications by 26 and 16 mm types, reducing the lamp weight by about 50%. If one also considers the increased life times achieved by these products, the overall saving in raw materials over the life cycle is even greater.

ELC Guide to the Directive 2002/95/EC on Restrictions of the use of certain Hazardous Substances (RoHS)

Radioactive Substances in Lighting Products

Disposal Phase

When evaluating the environmental effects of disposing of lamps at the end of life (EoL), the real driver for lamp recycling, as opposed to other forms of disposal, is the need to recover the mercury and the neutralisation of sodium metal.

In the total product of lamps, only gas discharge lamps contain mercury. Although the quantity of mercury in the present generation of gas discharge lamps is very small, the ELC has been encouraging the development of cost effective, practical and environmental sound methods for managing the disposal of EoL gas discharge lamps since early 90s.

In most European countries where specific waste legislation is in force an infrastructure is in operation regarding the separate collection and recycling of EoL mercury containing gas discharge lamps. This has been endorsed strongly by lamp industry.

Countries with a recycling infrastructure for EoL gas discharge lamps in Europe

1: Countries are included here if sufficient capacity is available to recycle at
least 50% of the EoL lamps
2: Starting Scheme

Filament lamps should not be collected for recycling due to the absence of environmentally sensitive substances and no significant economic justification.

Recycling techniques for fluorescent lamps

Basically two types of techniques are utilised for recycling or EoL fluorescent lamps. One technique is known as "end cut", employing a process by which both ends of the fluorescent tube are removed before the materials are separated and processed to a high purity product. The other technique is known as "shredder (crush and sieve)". It crushes the complete product, after which the various ingredients are separated and processed.

All the recovered material can be re-used in different types of applications. In the table below an overview is given of the material fractions and their outlet channels (customers). For many fractions the customer is the lamp manufacturer. The lamp manufacturer uses these material fractions to substitute for the virgin material and by doing so closes the life cycle loop.

Overview of recovered materials and their customers

Recycling techniques for fluorescent lamps

When evaluating the environmental effects of disposing of lamps at the end of life (EoL), the real driver for lamp recycling, as opposed to other forms of disposal, is the need to recover the mercury and the neutralisation of sodium metal.

In the total product of lamps, only gas discharge lamps contain mercury. Although the quantity of mercury in the present generation of gas discharge lamps is very small, the ELC has been encouraging the development of cost effective, practical and environmental sound methods for managing the disposal of EoL gas discharge lamps since early 90s.

In most European countries where specific waste legislation is in force an infrastructure is in operation regarding the separate collection and recycling of EoL mercury containing gas discharge lamps. This has been endorsed strongly by lamp industry.

Countries with a recycling infrastructure for EoL gas discharge lamps in Europe:

1: Countries are included here if sufficient capacity is available to recycle at least
50% of the EoL lamps
2: Starting Scheme

Filament lamps should not be collected for recycling due to the absence of environmentally sensitive substances and no significant economic justification.