Environmentally responsible disposal of HID & FL lights

[Al B. Fuct]

HID and fluoro lights contain a few mg of mercury. I wouldn't think they should go in household rubbish, but I imagine that's where most of them go now.

 

All the same, I don't want to show up on the council's hazardous waste collection day with a dozen 1000W HPS bottles if ya know wot I mean.

 

Anyone thought about environmentally safer, secure disposal? Will your hydro shop take back old tubes for safe disposal?

[Luke Skywalker]

Possibly... I think the lighting manufacturer would be the best mob to call though?

[Al B. Fuct]

Good thought Luke, but the makers are all overseas from Australia- and probably wonder why we don't just chuck them out in the desert somewhere.

 

I think I'll ring up Ye Olde Hydroe Shoppe and see if they can organise to accept old tubes and manage safe disposal. Every council in Australia uses HPS streetlighting- I could try to find out what they do with their old toobs if YOHS can't manage them.

[Luke Skywalker]

Yeah, that's a good idea... just say you have a whole pile of old shop lighting perhaps....

 

And there should at least be a local company headquarters... god knows they sell enough of them in oz.

[loylty gets u nothing]

i was returnin mine to the shop i got em from

but they sell 2nd hand gear

and i have a suspision thats where me bulbs were goin..

now i just got a collection

enough to light the street though

bil

[Al B. Fuct]

Yeah, that's a good idea... just say you have a whole pile of old shop lighting perhaps....

 

True, it doesn't have to be 1kW bottles- just disposing of common 4'/40W workshop tubes presents the same problem.

 

And there should at least be a local company headquarters... god knows they sell enough of them in oz.

 

Real good point. I'm sure Philips has got a presence here, not sure about others. Will Google around and see wot I get. Good thinkin'.

[Al B. Fuct]

i was returnin mine to the shop i got em from

but they sell 2nd hand gear

and i have a suspision thats where me bulbs were goin..

 

You're not wrong. Also, quite a lot of shops buy old gear from drug busts at police auctions, too. Magic pudding, innit?

 

now i just got a collection

enough to light the street though

 

I have so many that I was trying to think of some clever way of making art or bongs or something... the mercury nixed the bong idea quicksmart, tho.

[Al B. Fuct]

I've sent out some queries about disposal and recycling to the Aus presences of GE, Sylvania and Philips. I think the 'local' GE office might be in Bangalore, but we shall see.

[bongonaussie]

yeah, interesting post Al.. I tend to store my old ones up rather than throw them away...

 

I have sent a few to mates here that cant afford new ones..

[Al B. Fuct]

Say, that's a good idea. I don't know how much good a 2+ year old 1000 is, but I have a few I would happily give away.

 

I had cause to measure the luminous output from an old GE 1000HPS- it was still making 73% of the new tube output (22Kl [old] vs 30Kl [new] @ 800mm).