Some people don't really think through some of this stuff do they?
I replaced two bulbs yesterday. I noticed that the cardboard box featured the usual energy efficiency rating graph, showing that these bulbs had a rating of "F"....
The minor point that escaped the author of this energy rating? They were high temperature pygmy bulbs for use in an *oven*!
And when they're banned, due to their gross inefficiency, you'll have to buy compact fluorescents suitable for your oven.
Did you spot this story back in April:
I did not. Oh well that's my landing a hazardous zone, then.
Another thing for the HIP then :-
"Have you at any time smashed a CFL bulb in your house"
products, effectively preventing the sale and manufacture of mercury barometers and thermometers.
I wonder how they deal with such CFLs when they've got crushed in the back of the non-recyclable rubbish pick-up??? ;-)
"Are you, or have you ever been a Communist"
Into the landfill just like all the rest of what they collect.
I don't think anyone's decided what UK is going to do yet, but generally, other bans on filament lamps have only been on regular lamps in a range something like 40-200W, and haven't included specialist lamps or even coloured lamps.
There's not enough there to merit doing anything. To put this in perspective, each person (on average) has the same amount of mercury in their mouth as you will find in 1000 CFL's. Of course, that won't stop the tree huggers inventing all sorts of cumbersome procedures with the intention that none of this leaks out and costs become prohibitive. If you are dealing with recycling fluorescents specifically, then the scale would be different, and attempting to trap the mercury would be required (although it's far too uneconomic to recycle it).
Is there a cite for this? I've just dug up an unused honewell thermostat with a bimetal strip attached to a tilting mercury switch.
AJH
Won't be a problem as there won't be any CFLs as they contain Mercury and thus can't be sold. As tungstun are banned due lack of effciency I guess we will have to go back to tallow candles.
Talking about recycling, is anyone aware of a regulation, either proposed or actual, which states that a seller of batteries must accept used batteries for recycling, and must have a licence to do so?
I'm talking about ordinary C cells, AAs etc., not rechargeables of any description.
EU directive requires member states to have legislation in place to prevent batteries going into landfill by September 2009. I think there's a sliding scale over a year or two following this date when member states can show increasing recovery rates from landfill without risking a fine from the EU. Due to higher toxicity of rechargables, EU requires higher level of compliance with them than it does with other types.
I haven't read the EU directive, but I don't think the EU legislation specifies any particular method for recovering batteries, such as return to seller or separate waste recovery (e.g. in the recyclables, which I believe is what's currently done on Holland).
I heard the Mercury barometer ban on the radio, so:
Ah thats why we have pilot program just started in Cumbria (may only be Eden District) where residents are given free 2nd Class business post plastic envelopes for any used batteries. Fill it up bung it in the post to a Wolverhampton address. Takes button, D, C, AA, AAA, PP3 and any mobile phone batteries. No lead batteries though, even SLA.
And cemotoria already have a deadline to implement emmissions controls to prevent the release of mercury to the atmosphere.
Steve W
In message , Andrew Gabriel writes
Ah, thank you. I was told by our local ironmonger that any business selling batteries has to accept old ones, and then have a licence, at
400 pounds per annum, to be able to pass them on to the local authority, for recycling or whatever.Perhaps he was trying to scare me, as I sell batteries in competition with him :-)
Lead batteries had been taken back by manufacturers for many years, because they can easily recycle the lead and it's worth their while. By this mechanism, a significant proportion of vehicle batteries were recycled. Something like ~5 years ago (can't recall exactly when), government introduced rules to ensure lead was recycled. This required certificates to be purchased and passed back with each recycled battery to the manufacturer. Car battery recycle rates plummeted -- the voluntary scheme which had operated quite well became a paperwork nightmare and people in the supply chain just dumped the batteries instead as it was easier. I don't know what the current situation with this scheme is.
I've no idea what UK government's plans are for implementing this directive into UK law -- I haven't heard anything about that yet. What you describe would be consistent with our gold plated implementation of EU legislation, and we'll probably end up with batteries all dumped in the nearest village pond or flushed down the loo...
In message , Andrew Gabriel writes
Indeed :-(
However, our local authority (Aberdeenshire) now supply little bags for waste domestic type batteries, but they are only for domestic premises, not commercial.
Its always that way with Nu Laber and their soshlist chums in Europe.
Its so easy to get recycling and everything else working..juts tax the sale of lead, mercury, oil and anything else you deem undesirable.
The mechanisms for assessing cost benefit, and making decisions based on it exist everywhere at all levels.
If a plastic bag cost a supermarket 1p and a paper one 0.5p, there wouldn't be a single plastic bag in any supermarket inside of three months.
I remember the days of 'deposit on bottles'
A friend and I once spent a wet day on a beach in wales making about £5
- a considerable sum in those days - collecting all the bottles and taking them back to the beach front shop.
I've got a bottle of mercury - delicately labelled Hydrargium. It's not full, I reckon there will be about 100ml.
When I worked in a lab mercury was always kept in stone bottles but mine is moulded glass.
Mary
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