Expert Junk Removal & Hauling Services in Winsford

You will need to contact the Environment Agency who can advise you on registration. Normally if you are a small waste producer you will be exempted from registration, however we will need to know your status prior to collection and disposal. The Environment Agency helpline is 08708 506 506. Alternatively you can visit them online at www.environment-agency.gov.uk.

They contain a small amount of mercury. If the lamps were disposed of in the normal manner without recycling, e.g. in skips, they would end up at landfill sites and the mercury would eventually end up in our rivers and contaminate the water.

A CFL or other fluorescent light bulb is made up of a phosphor-coated glass tube that contains some mercury vapor. When the electric current is switched on, the mercury vapor is energized, causing it to send out ultraviolet (UV) energy. The phosphor coating absorbs the UV energy, which causes the phosphor to fluoresce and send out visible light. Without the mercury vapor to produce UV energy, there would be no light.

Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) and other fluorescent light bulbs contain small amounts of mercury. For example, an average CFL contains 5 milligrams or about 1/100th of the amount of mercury found in a mercury fever thermometer. By comparison, older thermometers contain about 500 milligrams of mercury. It would take 100 CFLs to equal that amount. No mercury is released when the bulbs are intact or in use; exposure is possible only when a bulb has been broken. CFLs or other fluorescent light bulbs are an extremely energy-efficient lighting option. These light bulbs are significantly more energy efficient than incandescent light bulbs because they require less energy to provide the same amount of light. The use of fluorescent light bulbs, rather than incandescent light bulbs, reduces the release of mercury and greenhouse gases from coal-burning power plants.

Virtually all components of a CFL or other fluorescent light bulb can be recycled. The metal end caps, glass tubing, mercury and phosphor powder can all be separated and reused. Recyclers often sell the metallic portions as scrap metal. The recycled glass can be remanufactured into other glass products. The mercury can be recycled into new fluorescent light bulbs and other mercury-containing devices.