In 2013 Ecolamp (the Italian consortium for the collection and disposal of lighting appliances) collected nearly 2,000 tons of used eco-save bulbs, which is 16% more than in the previous year.

This is good news especially if compared to the trend in the collection of other categories of e-waste (such as electric and electronic appliances) that in the same period decreased by 6%.

The light bulbs were collected by private citizens, in the municipal waste collection centers, or by lighting technicians, who can deliver the lamps for free to national collection points or have them taken away by the Consortium directly at their warehouses.

Ecolamp Consortium also ensures the correct recycling of the collected lamps, from which up to 95 % of the components (plastic, glass, metals) can be reused. The "crush and sieve" process used for recycling the energy saving bulbs also ensures that all the toxic materials contained in them (mercury and fluorescents dusts) are not dispersed in the environment.

The glass from the bulbs can then be reused in building materials (insulating materials or on the surface of tiles) and mercury can be employed in other industrial processes as if it was a raw material.

For more information please visit the Consortium website