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Facts Show How and Why Bulb Recycling Plan Works
By: Trammell Crow Co.
Recycling Articles
Battery Recycling Mysteries Solved
In our increasingly mobile world, batteries serve quite a purpose. They power our cars, portable electronics and items we use every day. Batteries can even be made out of vegetables.Don't Waste Your Waste
Now that you know the benefits of recycling industrial solid waste, after reading the cover story "Renewable Refuse" in our magazine's May 2007 issue, where do you start? Who should be involved? How do you implement recycling? So many questions...here are a few suggestions on how to effectively implement pollution prevention (P2) in your operations. Start now, make a plan, and make a difference.Waste Management on Your Campus
According to a recent CFM survey, the majority of our readers are involved in some way in their college’s recycling program. Need reasons to be more actively involved? Consider these facts: 350,000 aluminum cans are produced every minute; once an aluminum can is recycled, it can be part of a new can within six weeks; if every American recycled one-tenth of their newspapers, we would save about 25 million trees; approximately 1 billion trees worth of paper are thrown away every year in the United States; about one-third of an average dump is made-up of packaging material; and packaging represents about 65 percent of household trash.Universal Waste: Bulbs, Batteries, Bugs and Barometers
For many years, most hazardous waste generators tossed burned out fluorescent bulbs, scrap rechargeable batteries and unneeded mercury-containing devices like mercury switches into the dumpster along with other plant trash.Next compliance headache: toxics
Besides a written policy, CIOs should perform due diligence on third-party disposal vendors to ensure they can certify what happens to equipment once hauled away.Tips: Environmental Stewardship in the Workplace
It's time for American offices to go green. It's not that hard to do. It just takes planning and commitment, according to The HON Co., a manufacturer of sustainable office furniture.Maine's hot for recycling
Mercury thermostat manufacturers must take responsibility for recycling their products under a new Maine law. Maine is the first state to require manufacturers to provide a financial incentive to recycle commercial and residential building thermostats that contain mercury and require everyone to recycle the devices. The law also mandates all manufacturers that sold the devices in the state to participate in a mercury thermostat recycling program.The Top 10 Office Closing Challenge
Mergers and acquisitions, lease expiration, restructuring, changes in business direction, can all create the need for closing an office or perhaps more than one office or even an entire facility. If itΓÇÖs the office you work in it may not be too problematic to manage the project. However, if there are more than one closure or relocation, or if the locations are not nearby, the challenges increase significantly. Here are the Top 10 challenges your likely to face when closing an office:Lorain County - Fluorescent Bulb and Ballast Recycling Program
The Lorain County "Bulb & Ballast Recycling" Program, operated by the County's Solid Waste Management District, is designed to collect used fluorescent lamps, high intensity discharge (HID) bulbs, and neon lamp tubing of all shapes and sizes, then package and ship them to a certified recycler. Used lamp ballasts are also collected and similarly recycled.Landfill an Alternative Fuel, Community Revenue Source
Energy Systems Group, LLC (ESG) and the Board of Commissioners of Johnson City, Tennessee (city) have agreed to develop a landfill gas recovery project that is a major benefit to the local community. The project will provide a new source of revenue for the city, help alleviate pressure on community taxes, make available a local and alternative energy supply for several Johnson City companies and reduce air emissions for the area over the next two decades.Lamp Recycling Made Easy Compliance with the Universal Waste Rule
Whether constructing or maintaining an office building, hospital or home, decisionmakers must consider environmental regulation compliance as they dispose of potentially hazardous waste.Corporations Are Embracing Green Real Estate, Survey Finds
ATLANTA, Oct. 30, 2007 -- Nearly 80 percent of industry leaders say sustainability is a major issue for today's businesses, and are willing to pay a premium to achieve it, according to a survey from CoreNet Global and Jones Lang LaSalle.Green Marketing: Make Your Building Stand Out
Commercial real estate owners who make green building investments naturally want to benefit from them ΓÇö by attracting better tenants, securing longer leases, experiencing fewer vacancies, gaining a more positive public image and enjoying a competitive advantage in what is generally a commodity market.Hotel Chains Grapple With Meaning of Green
As director of Element, a brand of environmentally conscious hotels being developed by Starwood Hotels & Resorts World Wide Inc., Nicholas Lakas picks his way across a landscape of so-called green products each time he steps into his office.U.S. EPA Announces Green Building Design Challenge
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif ΓÇö The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, along with GreenBuildingBlocks.com, the Building Materials Reuse Association, the American Institute of Architects and West Coast Green, announce the first Lifecycle Building Challenge, a national competition to develop green building strategies and designs that reduce waste and conserve resources by facilitating adaptation, disassembly and reuse.Fortune magazine recognizes 'green' companies
March 22 -- Fortune magazine keeps track of the wealthiest people and the largest companies, and now the publication is tracking environmentally aware companies in its new "Going Green" report.Facts and Figures on E-Waste and Recycling
In a 2006 report, the International Association of Electronics Recyclers projects that with the current growth and obsolescence rates of the various categories of consumer electronics, somewhere in the neighborhood of 3 billion units will be scrapped during the rest of this decade, or an average of about 400 million units a year.U.N. Warning on E-waste 'Mountain'
The world's richest nations are dumping hazardous electronic waste on poor African countries, says the head of the UN's Environment Programme (Unep)."E-Trash" A Growing Concern
NEW YORK, Nov. 10, 2007 - We love our electronics, but it's a fickle affair. When something better enters the picture, we dump it. Now, there's growing concern that the nearly 3 billion electronics products that Americans cherish will wind up in landfills, reports CBS News correspondent Bianca Solorzano.e-Cycling
In the past, electronics typically began their lives in manufacturing facilities and ended them in landfills -- their version of going from womb to tomb. However, because the volume of discarded computers, cell phones, televisions, and other electronic gadgets has exploded in recent years, there is a growing movement aimed at diverting electronic waste (e-waste) from landfills and giving it a new life through recycling.Compact Fluorescent Lamp (CFL) Disposal Simplified
CFLs have gained momentum with the latest green push and Wal-Mart's commitment to sell 100 million over the next year. Despite high front-end costs, compact fluorescents use 50-80% less energy and last up to 10 times longer than traditional incandescents. Additionally, CFLs reduce air and water pollution, give off high-quality light and can be used nearly everywhere.The Hidden Benefits of Lamp Recycling
As most university maintenance personnel and electricians already know, nearly all lamps are considered hazardous waste and spent bulbs can no longer be tossed into dumpsters. Due to the mercury content in fluorescent, mercury vapor and other lamps and lamp fragments, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends recycling of lamps and lamp components as the proper method of disposal.Web-Based Tool Helps CBRE Measure Its Waste
It is easy to comply with environmental regulations when fluorescent bulb recycling efforts are automatically updated and quantified. As a result, you are years ahead of most competitors, and prospective clients can swiftly compare an actual "Green" track record with the somewhat vague promises of other property management companies.The Easy Way To Go Green
The social mandate to "go green" may seem like one more headache for office managers responsible for creating and policing recycling programs for hazardous and other waste.Why Recycle Used Lamps?
Facility professionals know that using energy efficient lighting goes a long way in reducing overall energy costs. Throughout their operational life, efficient lighting systems contribute not only to visibility and safety for building personnel, but they also reduce emissions from fossil fuel generation.Recycling Fluorescent Lamps: It Can Be Affordable and Easy
Environmental threat and EPA regulations require fluorescent lamp recycling. New methodology greatly simplifies the process and reduces expense.Group Relamping: All Together Now
The entire process may well distract employees near the lamp. And without close oversight, the last step is often truncated by simply dropping the lamps into the nearest dumpster where they are quickly covered — and probably smashed — by other trash, releasing their mercury. The labor involved in this process may be a significant hidden cost, especially when compared to alternatives.Lamp Recycling Contractors Might Be Able To Help
Any contractor who works in a building can assist owners with lamp recycling. Collection and recycling services can be a new profit center for contractors, or offered as a value-added service for better customer relations.New Features on LampRecycling.com
Air Cycle Corporation is dedicated to providing easy and efficient recycling solutions. The EasyPak program offers a cost efficient recycling option for organizations that either generate small quantities of recyclables or are limited in their storage space. The growing popularity of the program can be attributed to the simple steps required to recycle lamps, batteries, ballasts, and thermostats.Battling e-waste
Inside Hewlett-Packard Co.'s cavernous recycling plant in the Sacramento suburbs, truckloads of obsolete PCs, servers and printers collected from consumers and businesses nationwide are cracked open by goggled workers who pull out batteries, circuit boards and other potentially hazardous components.Lamps & Ballasts: End-of-Life Decisions
Environmental awareness affects every area of institutional and commercial facilities, as well as most activities of maintenance and engineering departments. In recent years, such awareness has extended to lighting systems, primarily lamps and ballasts. Managers face a host of options and decisions related to properly disposing of these products at the end of life (EOL), and developing a successful strategy starts with understanding the challenges and the resources available.EPA Releases Report On Lamp Crushing
Broadview, IL - A study of lamp crushing machines was released by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on August 24th, 2006. Air Cycle's Bulb Eater® system was one of the devices tested in the study (Manufacturer C).There's now an intelligent approach to lamp maintenance, disposal, and performance
Disposal of fluorescent and HID lamps that contain mercury and lead can be a trial for facility managers. Almost every state's regulations differ from the others. But they all require time consuming storage, packaging, paperwork, and organization.Transwestern becomes first property management firm to partner with EPA in resource conservation program
(August 18, 2006, Bethesda, MD) Transwestern Commercial Services was named an official partner in a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) program to conserve natural resources, in a ceremony held in Bethesda, Maryland.A New Look at Lamp Disposal
Guidelines for the proper disposal of mercury-containing lamps are changing across the United States. For example, as of Feb. 8, the state of California does not allow the disposal of everyday materials - such as fluorescent lamps - in trash headed for landfills. As more is learned about the dangers of mercury contamination in the country's groundwater, rivers, streams, and air, regulators and enforcers all over the country are tightening controls on fluorescent lamp, battery, and electronic equipment disposal.EPA Revises Standards For Recycling Cathode Ray Tubes
In an effort to increase the collection and recycling of cathode ray tubes (CRT), EPA announced on July 19 that it is simplifying the federal hazardous waste management requirements for CRTs and CRT glass destined for recycling.Low-Cost Lighting For the Long Term
No one deliberately chooses a lamp or fixture that will cost more to operate than one that would do so equally well at a lower life-cycle cost. Yet many buildings have lighting systems that were selected without much regard to operating costs. Unless facility executives and system designers pay attention to factors that influence lighting operating costs, they may be strapping themselves with ongoing costs that could well have been avoided.Trammell Crow Shares Lamp Recycling Case Study
Waste is lost raw material, lost product, lost resource, and lost profit. Generating significant amounts of waste is not sustainable for today's society. The accelerating pressures on natural resources, impact of new technology on resource use, increasing waste generation and the need for more sustainable approaches to using natural resources represent new challenges to our society.Hazmat Management Matters - Article
To comply with hazardous waste regulations, managers need a clear understanding of the wastes their facilities generateGood Riddance to Old Lamps
Recycling used lamps, experts say, is the best way to keep mercury in fluorescent lamps out of the environmentCampus Facilities Maintenance article on The Hidden Benefits of Lamp Recycling
Transwestern Commercial Services is one of the region's largest property management firms with over 13 million square feet of office space in Northern Virginia, DC, and Maryland. Transwestern has voluntarily committed to recycle its mercury-containing lamps, ballasts and batteries as an opportunity to do its part to protect the environment. Transwestern's goal of 100% lamp recycling in its Mid-Atlantic Region has the potential to prevent between 175,000 and 220,000 fluorescent lamps from reaching local landfills each year.Building Services Management Article on Lamp Crushing and Lamp Recycling
In an effort to cut disposal costs and be more environmentally friendly, Metro North purchased a fluorescent bulb crusher and began recycling its fluorescent bulbs. The crusher is a covered 55-gallon drum that holds a crusher, vacuum, and HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filter to contain dust and mercury released during crushing.Harford County Government Recycles Fluorescent Light Tubes
Harford County has initiated a program to recycle all of the burned-out fluorescent light tubes collected from county buildings. Fluorescent tubes contain a tiny ball of mercury, about 40 milligrams, that turns into a vapor during use. The recycling program will keep this highly toxic element out of the environment by using a special recycling device called a Bulb Eater.Bulb Recycling
By diverting waste from landfills, facility managers can help the environment and move toward sustainability.VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIROMENTAL QUALITY announced Drum-Crushing pilot project
EPA Fines NYC College for Hazardous Waste Violations
Manhattan College, Bronx, NY, faces $111,199 in fines from the EPA for alleged violations of hazardous waste regulations.NOTICE OF CHANGES TO K-12 SCHOOL GRANT PROGRAM
As you may know, the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation, in this fourth year of its school lighting upgrade program, recently awarded 320 grants totaling more than $10 million to assist K-12 schools throughout our state to upgrade to high quality, energy efficient lighting systems.COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES USE DELL GRANTS FOR CAMPUS COMPUTER RECYCLING EVENTS
ROUND ROCK, Texas, April 14, 2005 - Dell will provide three U.S. college and university customers $10,000 grants to be used to conduct computer collection events on campus this spring.
