Recycling of used lamps
All over the world, lamp recycling is getting more and more popular as a contribution to environmental protection. Now, this is often supported by laws or other official regulations dealing with this topic. These laws and recycling systems are individual to every country. So, please, ask your local retailer, wholesaler or Radium partner about the terms and conditions there.
WEEE - EU directive...
... 2002/96/EC on Waste of Electric and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) regards disposal of certain kinds of lamps, luminaires and parts like starters or control gear. It has been transferred to national legislation in all European countries. It affects products of the category light sources such as fluorescent lamps, compact fluorescent lamps and discharge lamps as well as LED retrofit lamps. Further, in its scope are luminaires and their components like starters, operational gear and built-in LEDs.
Products which shall not be disposed of by ordinary household waste can be distinguished by the crossed out wheelie bin. This symbol can be found in catalogues as well as on the packaging.
Radium is registered with the German Elektro-Altgeräte-Register (EAR) by code no.DE 36655118.
Main target of this EU regulation is avoiding waste from electric and electronic devices in order to reduce amount and value of waste. Furthermore, resources should be preserved by re-use and recycling like, for example, by materialistic and other ways of reutilisation of the electric and electronic waste.
Every user (private and professional) should be obliged to put old lamps into the correct waste management channel. Thus, in most countries there are national societies organising this professional recycling (e.g. Lightcycle in Germany). Used lamps can be handed in at special collection points, usually either with wholesalers or at civic amenity sites. Incandescent and halogen lamps do not contain any environmentally relevant substances, so, they can be disposed of by ordinary household waste.
Links of interest
Stiftung Elektroaltgeräte Register: www.stiftung-ear.de
Lighting Europe: www.lightingeurope.org
