How to deal with the sequelae of energy-saving lamps?
The industry said that with the improvement of process technology, the mercury content in new energy-saving lamps has become very small, but the early production of energy-saving lamps, because of the backward process technology, mercury pollution and other problems are more prominent. The service life of energy-saving lamps is about 3 years, which means that it has reached the stage of centralized scrapping of products in the initial stage of energy-saving lamps. According to reports, there are currently hundreds of millions of waste energy-saving lamps in our country entering a period of concentrated obsolescence. How to reasonably and standardize the recycling of waste energy-saving lamps is becoming the next environmental protection problem that should be faced nowadays. In this regard, the author conducted an in-depth visit.
The four major components of waste energy-saving lamps, including capillaries, lamp caps, ballasts, and plastic parts, contain toxic and harmful elements such as mercury, lead, and polybrominated biphenyls to varying degrees. Data shows that mercury contained in an energy-saving lamp will pollute about 180 tons of water and surrounding soil after it seeps into the ground.
How to dispose of waste energy-saving lamps? The reporter interviewed more than a dozen citizens randomly on this issue and found that there are basically no standardized recycling channels for energy-saving lamps used in households today. "What else can I do besides throwing away used energy-saving lamps? I don't want to waste recycling stations." As the citizen Ms. Ye said, none of the community waste recycling stations I consulted said to recycle used energy-saving lamps.
Insufficient understanding of pollution hazards. On the other hand, under the incomplete market supervision system, the high cost of recovery has discouraged many production companies. “Local bid-winning companies basically do not have the ability to dispose of waste energy-saving lamps. The collected waste products need to be transported to some southern manufacturers for professional treatment." Wang Jianqiang said that companies use free recycling to recycle waste energy-saving lamps to consumers. But if you want to send it to a professional treatment plant, you need to pay. Generally, the treatment cost of a lamp is 1 to 2 yuan. "In addition to long-distance transportation fees, packaging and finishing fees before transportation, etc., these expenses need to be borne by the recycling companies themselves, and the cost is quite high." Waste recycling stations do not collect, what about the sales companies? The author also visited the lighting city and hardware stores, etc. Places selling lighting appliances. Energy-saving lamps of various styles and purposes are sold here, with prices ranging from a few yuan to tens of yuan. When reporters asked the merchants how to dispose of a waste lamp tube, most of them said that they are not responsible for recycling waste energy-saving lamps.
When I asked if I knew that energy-saving lamps contained mercury and polluted the environment, a sales staff member said: “Yes. But if the manufacturer doesn’t recycle it, we can’t deal with it here.” According to the staff member, the energy-saving lamps they sell The lamps are guaranteed for 1 year. If the energy-saving lamps are damaged within 1 year, they can be replaced with new ones. If they are used for more than 1 year, the manufacturer will not recycle them. The author learned through interviews that it is not that there are no manufacturers responsible for recycling waste energy-saving lamps, but that these manufacturers that have the conditions for recycling are just a few of the many energy-saving lamp manufacturers. Wang Jianqiang, manager of Shijiazhuang Zhiyuan Snow Wright Lighting Appliance Co., Ltd., told reporters that under normal circumstances, the winning bidders shortlisted for the "High-efficiency Lighting Product Promotion Project" not only enjoy promotion subsidies, but also bear the responsibility of recycling waste energy-saving lamps.
"Since the promotion of energy-saving lamps in 2008, the state has promised a two-year warranty. During the warranty period, energy-saving lamps can be exchanged for new ones. If the warranty exceeds the warranty, the bid-winning company will recycle it for free according to the regulations." Wang Jianqiang introduced, since 2008, his office The company began to undertake the promotion of high-efficiency lighting products in Hebei Province through state financial subsidies, and a total of 7 million high-efficiency lighting products have been promoted in a few years. With the arrival of the obsolete period of energy-saving lamps, the amount of recycling of waste energy-saving lamps has also begun to rise, but the recycling rate is not high. "About 2010, the recycling rate of waste lamps was less than 10%. In the past two years, it can basically reach more than 20%. Compared with other regions, the recycling rate is relatively high. However, from the perspective of the entire market, this ratio It’s still too small."
