dos-and-donts-guide-to-great-web-design

Tips for the Day: Lamp Packaging Do’s and Don’ts

When companies are set to recycle their universal waste lamps there are some things they should know about how to package them. Our crack team of packaging specialists have put together the More »

TacoBell2

Taco Bell Beef & CFLs: High Costs of Filler Lamp Recycling

$79.99, $89.99, $98.89,$107…. Notice something? Yes sometimes a small loan is needed for a business to recycle their CFL lamps with some recyclers which is unfortunate. These recycling companies will also take More »

epint

National Beer Day and Lamp Recycling. Get on the Train of Thought…

All aboard this train of thought as it leaves that station: Last night I saw a commercial for Sam Adams that was talking about the correct glass to use for their beer, More »

welcome

Welcome to our Blog!

Thank you for taking the time to join us on our exciting new adventure into the blogosphere.  We will be delving into the industry of  lamp recycling, universal waste, sustainability, recycling technologies More »

EPA

Understand the Laws & Liabilities

The risks of not recycling aren’t just environmental – they’re financial. Fluorescent and other mercury-containing lamps and waste are regulated by the EPA. If you are not managing and disposing of them More »

Selecting Proper Lamp Recycling for Your Business

We Know Lamp Waste & Recycling

With over 300+ million linear feet of lamps recycled & growing, we provide the most comprehensive direct lamp recycling for all types of lamps in the industry. NLR can provide you with More »

Companies Should Upgrade to More Energy Efficient Lighting Before the July 2012 DOE Phase- Out of T12 Lamps

January 19, 2012   nlrgreen   No comments

Atlanta, GA — (SBWIRE) — 01/19/2012 — There has never been a better time to upgrade your lighting system to reduce energy and maintenance costs. Department of Energy regulations will eliminate future manufacturing of most T12 fluorescent lamps after July 2012. This follows the previous July 2010 regulation that virtually eliminated T12 fluorescent magnetic ballasts from the lighting market. The DOE has targeted the T12 ballasts and lamps to remove this less efficient lighting technology from the market.

If your facilities use T12 fluorescent lamps you need to be prepared and your time is running out! After July 2012 it will be difficult to find replacement T12 lamps. Also expect the limited supply of these lamps will increase the costs to these replacement lamps. Value Energy Solutions, one of the largest lighting installation and lighting retrofit companies in the nation, can help you upgrade your lighting system with more energy efficient lighting and substantially reduce your energy costs.

To stay ahead of these changes you can replace your entire T 12 lighting system with new T8 or T5 fixtures and lamps. This will provide annual energy savings of up to 50% versus the T12 lamps- but it will require some upfront spending. One of the important services Value Energy Solutions provides is information on available utility and government rebate programs that can help greatly reduce the cost of upgrading to a more energy efficient lighting system.

Another option is to replace individual T12 fixtures with T8 or T5 fixtures as they fail. This approach has many disadvantages. It is more difficult to manage lamp replacement when there is a mix of T12 and other lamps. In addition, you will not realize full advantage of energy savings from continuing to use inefficient lamps. Also this option leads to uneven lighting which may be distracting to your employees.

via Companies Should Upgrade to More Energy Efficient Lighting Before the July 2012 DOE Phase- Out of T12 Lamps.

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Thumbs Up for Lamp Recycling!

January 11, 2012   nlrgreen   No comments
thumbs-up

Fluorescent lamp recycling for a business of any size has its positives that far outweigh not recycling and just going on with business as usual. There are positives that can be quantified, ones that can be physically seen and still others that have long reaching effects.

  • Through tracking and reporting a business can have a total of all their recycling efforts across one or multiple sites. This will allow them to be able to craft a more effective lamp recycling program by being able to pin-point which program (bulk or mail back) is right for them.
  • The bottom line. As with most things there is a charge for lamp recycling, but the cost is less than fines that can be assessed for improper management. Would a company rather pay $49 for a pre-paid recycling program that eliminates their liability or would they rather pay hundreds of dollars in fines for the same material that wasn’t recycled?
  • By collecting and correctly storing used lamps a business can reduce their liability for breakage, environmental breach, and possible employee injury
  • Recycling is both environmentally and corporate responsible. Recycling lamps keeps mercury out of our landfill and in turn out of the water and food sources that can directly impact our health
  • A lamp program can help a business increase their green image as well as convey a message of environmental stewardship to their employees and customers. Businesses can set up a company-wide recycling drive for all their employees or use their total lamp recycling numbers to quantify how much mercury was kept out of the environment. Real “Green Press” is green gold in today’s PR world.
  • Simply-Its the law and the right thing to do.

 

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Legislator Aims to Foster Instrastate Manufacture, Sale of Incandescent Bulbs – Sun Gazette Newspapers: News

January 11, 2012   nlrgreen   No comments

A state legislator is hoping to find a away around the federal government’s ban on manufacturing of incandescent light bulbs.

Del. Bob Marshall (R-Prince William) has introduced legislation that would permit the State Corporation Commission to oversee manufacturing and distribution of the light bulbs within Virginia’s borders.

Such an intrastate effort conceivably could skirt federal rules, adopted during the Bush administration, which mandate phasing out the manufacture of incandescent bulbs in favor of more energy-efficient lighting sources.

Marshall’s legislation anticipates that the federal government would challenge such a measure; it directs the state attorney general’s office to represent any manufacturer of incandescent bulbs in Virginia in any litigation brought by federal officials or anyone else using federal law as the basis for a suit.

via Legislator Aims to Foster Instrastate Manufacture, Sale of Incandescent Bulbs – Sun Gazette Newspapers: News.

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Tips for the Day: Lamp Packaging Do’s and Don’ts

January 09, 2012   nlrgreen   No comments
dos-and-donts-guide-to-great-web-design

When companies are set to recycle their universal waste lamps there are some things they should know about how to package them. Our crack team of packaging specialists have put together the below list to help assist you in making the right choice:

The Don’ts

  • Don’t use any amount (mass or otherwise) of any type of tape (duct, masking, scotch, electrical) to keep the lamps together
  • Don’t place lamps in wet or damaged boxes. Hint: if you can push your finger through the box, see the lamps inside due to rips or if they fall out the bottom chances are its not usable 
  • Don’t try to fit a square peg in a round hole. In other words don’t put an 8′ lamp in a 4′ box or vise versa
  • Don’t pack with broken/crushed lamps. Hint: if you have to use a dust pan or shovel to load the box then they are not acceptable
  • Don’t let the containers “get fresh air” and be kept outside exposed to the elements
  • Don’t break the lamps in the box to make more space

 

The Do’s

  • Make sure you have the proper size boxes/containers
  • Make sure both ends of the box are securely taped (Not the lamps)
  • Be sure that the boxes are properly labeled with “Accumulation Start Dates”
  • Store boxes in a dry space inside facility
  • Use proper PPE (personal protection equipment) such as glasses and gloves when loading
  • Make sure to use a properly permitted recycling company to transport and recycle the lamps
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The Thin Green Line

January 06, 2012   nlrgreen   No comments

Green Line

Programs like office paper, glass and can recycling are often implemented by a business’s  ”green team’ or as part of a corporate sustainability program. These programs help not only the environment but also provide a tangible aspect to a businesses green image and environmental responsibility. A corporate officer or employee can easily see the recycling bins and see what they have accomplished. However a company may not be subject to EPA fines if  the program is improperly managed or liable for incorrect storage of these items.* Would a EPA auditor say “Hey those aluminum cans and paper for shredding have no accumulation date.” or “What is your procedure to guard against environmental breach of those Snapple bottles?”. Most likely not. So when does environmental responsibility become a environmental requirement? Answer: When a company generates used lamps, batteries, ewaste, ballasts or mercury devices.

While used fluorescent lamps are taken away to the proper storage containers in the back of a  facility may not be in your face “look at us we recycle” it is still environmentally friendly and most importantly is the LAW.  Simple things such as having a universal waste recycling program, trained staff or properly stored containers with accumulation dates can help companies be compliant and reduce their liability. All of these things can be accomplished without a environmental health and safety officer or being a draw on budgets. The below are a few simple steps to successful universal waste recycling:

1) Learn & Educate-Understand your state’s regulations and specifics on universal waste
• What is Universal Waste? • RCRA Requirements • My State’s Regs
2) Assess Your Company- Take a general look at what universal waste your company produces and how often. See if you are a small or large generator3) Plan the Program- Based on the amount of waste generated see if a national mail-back program or bulk pick-up service is needed. Also look at factors beyond quantities such as ease of management, your facilities locations, or specific needs of your industry.

4) Implement & Monitor- Once you have selected the proper program be sure to implement it company-wide, educate employees, monitor progress, keep recycling records/certificates and evaluate the program yearly.

5) Have Questions or Need Assistance? Get Help-Call 877.822.4733 to discuss your company’s specific needs, implement a new program or to enhance a current one.
*depending on what state your company is in this may not be true. Check your local laws and regulations.

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Light Switch: Old-Fashioned Incandescent Bulb To Be Phased Out, But Is It Better For Your Health? – Courant.com

January 03, 2012   nlrgreen   No comments

BY WILLIAM WEIR
The Hartford Courant

December 24, 2011

After much debate about the environmental effects of the incandescent light bulb — more or less the same kind from Thomas Edison‘s day — the conventional 100-watt bulb has been spared for at least nine months, thanks to political maneuvering.

Ten days ago, Congress delayed enforcement of new Department of Energy regulations governing 100-watt incandescent light bulbs. Under the new requirement, which was to have taken effect Jan. 1 but was postponed until Oct. 1, manufacturers will no longer be able to produce the bulbs in their current form but will have to make them 25 percent more energy-efficient.

Who knew the light bulb was such a lightning rod? Many people who prefer the incandescent bulb say their choice of light source gives a warmer glow. Besides aesthetics, though, some wonder what health effects would come from a world lit by compact fluorescent bulbs and light-emitting diode (LED) lamps. Fluorescent bulbs have been shown to emit ultraviolet (UV) rays, which can cause skin cancer, and studies have been conducted on the effects of their flickering.

Mark Rea, director of the lighting research center at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., doesn’t share most of these concerns. He said fluorescent lights have improved greatly in recent decades to eliminate the annoying flicker that sometimes induced headaches. As for UV rays, Rea said, 10 minutes out in the sun will expose you to more UV light than any kind of light bulb.

Read More  Light Switch: Old-Fashioned Incandescent Bulb To Be Phased Out, But Is It Better For Your Health? – Courant.com.

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The Council Addresses PCBs in Schools (Gotham Gazette)

December 20, 2011   nlrgreen   1 Comment

by Jane C Timm
In what advocates say is the most sweeping legislation in the country to tackle PCB-contamination problems, two City Council bills unanimously passed yesterday will inform parents and school employees of contamination in schools and add transparency to the clean-up process.

PCB, or polychlorinated biphenyl, is a chemical that was widely used as a coolant and dielectric before it was banned it in 1979 for its toxicity.

The first bill 563 requires the Department of Education to notify parents and employees of PCB testing results or if the school uses T12 fluorescents, an outdated type of lamp that often leaks PCB. A second bill 566 asks for detailed reports from the DOE on their progress and plan eradicating PCB from schools.

Councilman Vincent Ignizio spearheaded the effort after he learned of a T12 fluorescent that was leaking PCB onto a carpet where grade-school children sat. “That’s where this started,” he said.

Nearly 800 city schools — built between the 1950s and late 1970s — are likely contaminated. PCB can hurt cognitive development in children, studies show. It also has been linked to cancer and a variety of other illnesses. Exposure to the chemical is particularly dangerous to young girls, who carry the chemicals in their bodies for years and pass them on to their offspring, as well as pregnant women, whose unborn children can be harmed by the exposure.

“Parents deserve to know what type of environment their children are learning in and school employees should be able to walk into their buildings with knowledge, not fear,” Council Speaker Christine Quinn.

via The Council Addresses PCBs in Schools (Gotham Gazette, Dec 20, 2011).

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Old-style light bulbs will keep burning, for now | New Hampshire NEWS06

December 19, 2011   nlrgreen   No comments

The light bulb is back — or at least not going away as previously planned.

A federal mandate expected to phase out 100-watt incandescent light bulbs in favor of more energy-efficient devices was switched off in Washington as members of Congress tussled over a spending deal.

While the so-called “bulb-ban” will remain on the books as of Jan. 1, the spending plan does not provide the Department of Energy with funds to enforce it.

U.S. Rep. Frank Guinta, R-N.H., said the move is a small, albeit temporary, victory for consumers.

“We Americans are perfectly capable of deciding for ourselves what type of bulb is best for lighting our homes and offices,” Guinta said Friday in a statement to the New Hampshire Union Leader. “We don’t need a nanny government in Washington mandating which type we can use and which we can’t.”

Shopping at Home Depot on Friday, Arthur Hebert couldn’t agree more.

“I don’t like the new bulb; they don’t seem as bright,” said Hebert, a public works employee with the town of Bedford. He prefers incandescent bulbs, but said his choices are already limited. This past summer, he was forced to purchase a compact fluorescent when he bought a bug lamp.

Hebert said he plans to stock up on the incandescent bulbs before Jan. 1. He was at the right place. Inside the main entrance, Home Depot has a display filled with incandescents.

According to the Department of Energy, the new law doesn’t actually ban — as many believe — any particular bulbs. It just requires them to use about 25 percent less energy.

Although compact fluorescent lights are more efficient, opponents note they have their own drawbacks, namely in disposal because the bulbs contain mercury. Fluorescent bulbs also cost more to purchase.

“I know the price is going crazy,” said Shaun Mulholland, a New Boston resident who is a price analyst for the electronics industry.

He questioned what effect the phase-out will have on his household. Most of the bulbs inside his house are 75 watt or less.

And he said the phase-out of the incandescent bulbs will probably help consumers.

“Once people start shifting (to compact fluorescent) it drives prices down,” he said.

But to Guinta, the idea of being told what to buy — regardless of the product — does not go over well.

“Get the government out of the way and let the free market determine the right light bulb for our needs,” Guinta said.

The delay in Congress affects consumers much more than state government. New Hampshire state facilities have been replacing incandescent lights for years, according to Mike Connor, director of plant and property management for the state Department of Administrative Services.

Even the chandelier bulbs that light the Capitol building in Concord are fluorescent, Connor said Friday afternoon.

New Hampshire Union Leader reporter Mark Hayward contributed to this article.

via Old-style light bulbs will keep burning, for now | New Hampshire NEWS06.

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IKEA to roll out reverse vending machines for light bulbs

December 14, 2011   nlrgreen   No comments

Dec. 14 — A recently released reverse vending machine is allowing light bulbs and old batteries to be recycled in Europe.

London-based Revend Recycling Ltd. and Norway-based Repant ASA designed and developed the machine that gives discount vouchers or other rewards to customers taking back their light bulbs, similar to taking back bottles and cans.

The machine will be showcased in a major retailer. Swedish-based furniture manufacturer Ikea will implement the machines at its stores in the U.K., Germany and Denmark, the Environmental Leader reported.

Increased demand for recycling of light bulbs, international changeover to CFL (long life/low energy) and LED domestic light bulbs and the recycling of domestic batteries was one of the major reasons the two companies designed the machine, according to a news release

via Headline News.

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New York City Schools Pressed To Get Rid Of PCBs

December 14, 2011   nlrgreen   No comments

Huff Post :: ::Claire Gordon :: claire.gordon@teamaol.com

At the end of the 2010-2011 school year, Michelle Chapman‘s 10-year-old daughter started complaining about headaches and fatigue. Her symptoms stopped during the summer, only to return when school started again in the fall. Doctors didn’t know what made the girl sick, but Chapman thinks she does: the fluorescent light fixtures at her daughter’s school, which are contaminated with sky-high levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), one of the most toxic chemicals ever made by man. Long-term exposure can damage a child’s ability to learn and a woman’s ability to bear healthy babies.

In New York City, 754 schools have fluorescent lights that are likely tainted with PCBs, according to the city’s School Construction Authority. The substance may be leaking into the air and building up in the bodies of teachers and children. At first, city officials denied there was a health risk. Now they acknowledge that there is one, but say it will take ten years to remove all the potentially toxic lights.

“It’s so scary,” says Chapman. “My daughter is 10. When she’s in her child-bearing years she’s going to have PCBs in her system. It seems like they’re choosing policy over our lives.”

The Environmental Protectional Agency has recommended all of the old lights be replaced in a maximum of five years, as has New York City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn. Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) has said the timeframe for replacement should be two to five years. A year ago, New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, a nonprofit civil rights firm that has worked closely with advocates to remove PCBs from schools, said it should be two years.

Parents, women’s health activists, environmentalists and lawyers have been holding rallies to pressure Mayor Michael Bloomberg‘s administration to act faster. On Monday, more than a dozen elected officials gathered together with other concerned parties on the steps of City Hall. “ABCs not PCBs,” they chanted, when Bloomberg made a surprise — and brief — appearance.

“Our plan to replace light fixtures in nearly 800 school buildings is unprecedented compared to other cities, and PCBs are a nationwide issue,” Natalie Ravitz, director of communications for the NYC Department of Education, told The Huffington Post via email.

Miranda Massie, the legal director of New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, said in response, “The fact that children are being poisoned elsewhere is not a morally attractive argument.”

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