PSI National Dialogue on Fluorescent Lighting

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Overall Dialogue Goal: Fluorescent Lighting

Promote use of energy efficient lighting while eliminating or reducing the amount of mercury and other toxins entering the

environment during the lifecycle of fluorescent lamps.

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Specific Dialogue Goals• Reduce environmental impact of manufacture

of fluorescent lighting.• Increase manufacture and procurement of

environmentally preferable lighting.• Maximize safe collection and recycling of

spent lamps from households and businesses.• Develop nationally-coordinated system that is

financially sustainable.3

Dialogue Participants

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Dialogue Participants• Manufacturers: GE, OSRAM-SYLVANIA, NEMA,

Philips• Recyclers: ALMR, EcoLights, WM/LampTracker• Environmental organizations: Mercury Policy

Project, NEWMOA, WCRC, Women’s Voices for the Earth, Sierra Club

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Dialogue Process• Action Plan• 3 in person meetings• Infrastructure Workgroup– Focused on collection infrastructure for consumer sector– Commercial sector infrastructure exists and will grow with

demand

• Bans & Enforcement Workgroup– Promoting education & enforcement of existing bans– Promoting disposal bans in more states

• Financing Workgroup6

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Areas of Agreement• Promote use of fluorescent lamps (for now)• All fluorescent lamps should be recycled– Not just those exciting little curvy ones!– Comprehensive bans only w/ certain caveats

• Commercial:– Infrastructure & financing systems in place

• Residential/small business:– Infrastructure & financing needed; not gov’t

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State Legislative Sessions• PSI provided letters of support/comment and in-person

testimony- CA*- MA- ME- OR- WA

• NEMA withdrew from dialogue• PSI follow-up items

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Other Activities• “7 Steps to Retail Collection”• Disposal bans document

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Other Activit• “7 Steps to Retail Collection”• Disposal bans document

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Next Steps• “No airfare” dialogue process continues– Breakage (use, collection/transport)– Commercial sector recycling– Hg export ban impacts?– Hg content– LEDs as next generation – Promote retail collection

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© Product Stewardship Institute, Inc.

Funders• Washington Department of Ecology• U.S. EPA Regions 5 & 8• Many sponsorships!

– Local Hazardous Waste Management Program in King County– NEMA – Snohomish County – UT Department of Environmental Quality– Veolia– Wal-Mart– Waste Management/LampTracker

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As goes Maine…so goes the nation!