Fluorescent Lamp Recycling Programme | Waste Reduction Website

To enhance the public awareness in the recycling of fluorescent lamps & tubes, EPD has launched a Helpdesk with Hotline (5575 4068). Service Hours: 9:00 am – 6:00 pm, Monday to Friday. Property management / representatives of housing estates and buildings interested to participate in the Fluorescent Lamp Recycling Programme are welcome to call the Hotline to enquire for more information and register.

Introduction

SAVE ENERGY and RECYCLE

Fluorescent lamps, especially compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), reduce electricity consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Moreover, some components can be recycled.
The lamps contain metal, glass and tiny amount of mercury. The mercury is well within international safety limits, but since mercury is a toxic substance, care should be taken during the collection and disposal of the used lamps.

To this end, the Fluorescent Lamp Recycling Programme (FLRP) for households has been established by the lighting industry, with support from the Environmental Protection Department (EPD), to collect and treat mercury-containing lamps in line with international practices.

It's easy for everyone to participate in the FLRP. When fluorescent lamps are spent, wrap them up to prevent breakage and bring them to the collection points at the participating housing estates or public collection points. Recycle used fluorescent lamps, and help protect the environment! Find a collection point near you.

About the Fluorescent Lamp Recycling Programme

Launched in March 2008, the FLRP is a voluntary Producer Responsibility Scheme that is currently funded by 11 members of the lighting trade to provide households with free collection and treatment for all used mercury-containing lamps, including compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), fluorescent tubes and high intensity discharge lamps. The objective is to reduce the environmental risk from improper disposal of these lamps and to recover resources.

Commercial and industrial premises do not come under the programme because many organizations have already recycled their lamps in accordance with the Waste Disposal Ordinance. As required under the law, any premises that store a significant quantity (eg. over 500 pieces) of used mercury containing lamps have to register with the EPD as a chemical waste producer, and arrange for proper collection and treatment of the used lamps at the Chemical Waste Treatment Centre. Please contact the contractor of the Chemical Waste Treatment Centre at 2434 6450 to arrange for bulk collection and treatment of the used lamps.

What to Recycle

The Fluorescent Lamp Recycling Programme accepts all spent mercury-containing lamps. These include:

compact fluorescent lamps

other fluorescent lamps (including straight tubes and other shapes)

high intensity discharge (HID) lamps

Place used lamps in the packaging that comes with new lamps before depositing them in the collection box for recycling.

Broken lamps should be sealed in a plastic bag. Protect yourself with disposable rubber gloves and take other precautions when cleaning up broken lamps.

The collection and treatment service is free of charge – households do not have to pay anything to recycle their lamps.

Where to Recycle

The Fluorescent Lamp Recycling Programme provides collection points for the residents of the participating housing estates and the general public to recycle mercury-containing lamps. The service is free of charge – the collection and treatment costs are covered by the lighting industry.

1.	Public Collection Points
	Some shopping malls and retail outlets have set up collection points under the FLRP to collect spent lamps for subsequent recycling at the Chemical Waste Treatment Centre.

List of Public collection points:

HK Island
Central & Western	Eastern	Southern	Wan Chai
Kowloon
Kowloon City	Kwun Tong	Sham Shui Po	Wong Tai Sin
Yau Tsim Mong
New Territories
Islands	Kwai Tsing	North	Sai Kung
Shatin	Tai Po	Tsuen Wan	Tuen Mun
Yuen Long

2.	Participating housing estates
	More than 1,700 housing estates have signed up to the programme. Residents can bring their used lamps to their estate's collection point for recycling.

List of Participating Estates/Buildings:

(Please check the collection schedule with your estate management)

HK Island
Central & Western	Eastern	Southern	Wan Chai
Kowloon
Kowloon City	Kwun Tong	Sham Shui Po	Wong Tai Sin
Yau Tsim Mong
New Territories
Islands	Kwai Tsing	North	Sai Kung
Shatin	Tai Po	Tsuen Wan	Tuen Mun
Yuen Long

Recycling spent fluorescent lamps

Licensed chemical waste collectors pick up the spent lamps from designated points and deliver them to the mercury treatment facility at the Chemical Waste Treatment Centre. The treatment facility was commissioned in 2004 to handle mercury-containing waste such as lamps, thermometers and blood-pressure meters. The facility was upgraded in 2012 and its annual capacity is around 3,500,000 mercury-containing lamps. The facility has 6 treatment units to separate the mercury glass, metal and other lamp components. Mercury bearing powder and metal parts are heated up in a distiller to recover the mercury for recycling, and the remaining waste is treated before being sent to the landfill for disposal.

Lamp Processor


Compact Crush & Separation (CCS) and HID Lamp Crusher


Fluorescent lamps and tubes are fed into the CCS and HID Lamp Crusher for separation into glass fraction, phosphor powder and metal parts.

Mercury bearing powder or metal parts are then heated up in the distiller where mercury will be vaporized. After that, mercury vapour is condensed and recovered.

Existing controls on mercury-containing waste

The Waste Disposal Ordinance requires large producers of mercury-containing lamps to properly collect and dispose of the waste. The lamps are taken to the Chemical Waste Treatment Centre, which has special handling and storage arrangements for the lamps. The mercury is separated and recycled, and the broken lamp pieces are treated before being sent to landfills for disposal.

How to join

If your estate is interested in joining the programme, please complete the enrolment form and return it to Helpdesk. Upon confirmation of your enrolment, a free collection and recycling service will be provided for residents of your estate. This programme is not applicable to the waste generated from commercial and industrial sector, including the fluorescent lamps and tubes installed at public area of the buildings.

Small quantity producers

You should follow the attached Guidance Notes on the arrangements.

Guidance Notes - Participating Housing Estates (non chemical waste producers)

Collection will be arranged from your estate according to a district roster once every six months. If your estate has stored up one full container of spent fluorescent lamps before the scheduled month, estate management may call their respective Recycling Stations of Green＠Community recycling network for an ad hoc pick-up. If no Recycling Station is established at your district yet, please call the relevant contractor at 3162 3417 for other arrangement.

In case of doubt, you may contact the Help Desk Hotline at 5575 4068.

Large quantity producers

If your estate generates or processes a large quantity (for example over 500 pieces) of spent mercury-containing lamps, you have to register as a chemical waste producer and follow the requirements stipulated under the Waste Disposal Ordinance and Waste Disposal (Chemical Waste)(General) Regulation.

Guidance Notes - Participating Housing Estates (registered chemical waste producers)

For existing registered waste producers who have not included mercury-containing lamps in the chemical waste producer registration form, you need only to notify the Regional Office of EPD in writing (sample notification letter) to include it as an additional waste stream; no fee will be incurred for the inclusion.

To collect used fluorescent lamps from your residents, the estate management can set up a mercury-containing lamp storage area at a new or an existing chemical waste storage area, and follow proper labelling and packaging requirements as currently practiced for managing chemical waste (see A Guide to Waste Producers for Handling and Disposing Spent Mercury-Containing Lamps). If you have accumulated 500 pieces of spent lamps or more, you can call the contractor of Chemical Waste Treatment Centre at 2434 6450 to arrange for collection of the lamps.

Participating Organisations

The FLRP is currently supported and funded by 3 lighting companies. EPD serves as the FLRP's Programme Advisor by providing advice and support to the programme and promoting the FLRP to the public. The Hong Kong Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Recycling Association is the programme manager.

Supporting organisations include the Hong Kong Association of Property Management Companies, Hong Kong Housing Authority, Hong Kong Housing Society, Hong Kong Electronics & Technologies Association, four green groups (Environmental Association, Friends of the Earth (HK), Green Power, and World Green Organisation), Business Environment Council, Sunshine Lighting Ltd, Japan Home Centre (HK) Ltd, Pricerite Stores Ltd, Sun Hung Kai Properties Ltd. and E Lighting Group Holdings Ltd.



Industry members include:
•	Luen Yick Electrical Mfg. Co., Ltd.
•	Maxgrand Ltd.
•	The Westwood

Organising Companies Logo

Find Out More About the FLRP

Useful Contacts


	- Arrangement of Collection Service for Participating Estates:

		1. Registered as chemical waste producers - CWTC Customer Service : 2434 6450
		2. Not registered as chemical waste producers - Respective Recycling Stations of Green＠Community recycling network (Click here for more details), or Collector Hotline : 3162 3417 (Vannex International Limited)

	- FLRP Enrolment Hotline: 5575 4068 (Helpdesk)

Downloads & Resources

Frequently Asked Question (FAQ)

Application Form

Guideline

-	Guidance Notes - Participating Housing Estates (registered chemical waste producers)
-	Guidance Notes - Participating Housing Estates (non chemical waste producers)
-	Guidance Notes - Commercial and Industrial Chemical Waste Producer