"Despite the growing popularity of energy-saving fluorescent lamps, little has been done to address the issue of the safe disposal of the dangerous waste they generate."
Steady release of mercury into the air, soil and water poses a significant health risk. Annually, a large amount of this toxic, complex metal is simply dumped into municipal landfills or released into the air from millions of
fluorescent tube lights and compact fluorescent lamps. The Hindu : Opinion / Op-Ed : Going green, with a large side order of mercury. The issue should not be allowed to drift, and both industry and government must take responsibility for the toxic waste element in end-of-life lamps.
The solution lies in providing a cash incentive to consumers to hand them over to civic or authorised recycling industry workers, with the recovery paid for by the manufacturers as part of the extended producer responsibility principle.
The mercury question provides an opportunity to cities to not just address one problem, but to adopt the Municipal Solid Waste rules in their entirety. Any move to segregate waste at the level of the consumer and remove recyclable materials can build the full chain of waste handling measures. This will reduce pressure on the environment from various waste sources such as batteries, plastic, glass and metal and help in resource recovery.
The mercury question provides an opportunity to cities to not just address one problem, but to adopt the Municipal Solid Waste rules in their entirety. Any move to segregate waste at the level of the consumer and remove recyclable materials can build the full chain of waste handling measures. This will reduce pressure on the environment from various waste sources such as batteries, plastic, glass and metal and help in resource recovery.
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