FAQ and disposal guideline

CFL Recovery Information ::Retailer take back service ::FAQ and disposal guideline

Index

Eskom Procurement/CFL Specifications

1. How are lamps sourced and which manufacturers supply the lamps that Eskom distributes?
2. Is Eskom supporting local manufacture?
3. Have all the lamps been procured for the current roll out? Are the lamps available in the country or what lead times apply?
4. What type of lamps is exchanged?
5. What quality lamps are being handed out free of charge?
6. It is understood that many people expressed their dissatisfaction with lamps handed out in the past. Is this true? What is being done about this?

Question: How are lamps sourced and which manufacturers supply the lamps that Eskom distributes?

Eskom follows a rigorous commercial process for all procurement. CFLs are procured through open tender.
The final selection is subject to due selection criteria that include availability, competitive pricing and particularly compliance with the minimum specifications (described below).
Most recently lamps where sourced from Osram, Philips and Eurolux.

Question: Is Eskom supporting local manufacture?

At present no CFLs are manufactured locally so all lamps are imported, predominantly from China.

Question: Have all the lamps been procured for the current roll out? Are the lamps available in the country or what lead times apply?
There is a huge demand for CFLs worldwide, but Eskom has managed to procure all the lamps required for the 2008 roll out. Typical delivery lead times are 6 weeks, but the bulk of the lamps are already in South Africa. The final 5 million lamps are scheduled to arrive in South Africa by 4 September 2008.

Question: What type of lamps is exchanged?

60W incandescent globes are exchanged for 14 or 15W CFLs and 100W incandescent lamps are exchanged for 18 – 20W CFLs.
An average of 6 – 8 lamps are exchanged per household.

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Question: What quality lamps are being handed out free of charge?

Eskom procures only lamps that comply with the most stringent specifications. All lamps are required to:

• Be RoHs (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) compliant (refer below for detail).
• Comply with ELI specifications (refer below for detail).
• Be long-life i.e. having hour ratings of 8,000 - 15,000 hours.

Question: It is understood that many people expressed their dissatisfaction with lamps handed out in the past. Is this true? What is being done about this?

Three main reasons for dissatisfaction where experienced in previous roll outs and are being addressed as follows:

• A number of the first CFLs had very short life expectancies and failed soon after distribution. Eskom has increased the specification for all lamps purchased and currently the shortest lamp life procured is 8,000 hours (>5 years).
• Initial exchange programmes replaced 60W lamps with 11W CFLs. The light quality (lumens) of the11W lamps did not meet the expectations of the public. Eskom now only distribute lamps of 14W or more to ensure better acceptance levels.
• During early exchange programmes there was limited sensitivity to the difference between cool white and warm white light produced by CFLs and the impact this difference would have on the acceptance of CFLs by the public. Generally warm white CFLs produce light that is closer to that of the replaced incandescent. In select instances and for specific applications (typically outdoor lighting) cool white lamps are preferred. Eskom now ensures that both warm and cool white lamps are available depending on recipient preference.

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Eskom Roll Out (Implementation details)

1. How many CFL light bulbs have been given to homeowners to date and how many are given to each household?
2. How many lamps are currently being rolled out?
3. What should people do if the lamps they were given fail prematurely?
4. Is there a risk of opportunists selling free-issue lamps to unsuspecting members of the public?
5. What is the timing for rolling out the remaining 16.8 million lamps?
6. How many more lamps are Eskom planning to roll out in coming years?
7. What is done with all the incandescent lamps that are collected during the roll outs? How is re-entry of these lamps into the market prevented?
8. How will the public know when Eskom will be visiting an area?

Question: How many CFL light bulbs have been given to homeowners to date and how many are given to each household?

Since 2004 to date roughly 22 million lamps have been distributed throughout South Africa.
On average between 6 and 8 lamps are handed out per household.

Question; How many lamps are currently being rolled out?
The 2008 initiative will see approximately 13.6 million lamps rolled out across South Africa.

Question: What should people do if the lamps they were given fail prematurely?
Exchange points are managed in parallel with every roll out in the specific area of roll out. If a lamp fails during the roll out, it can be brought to an exchange point for replacement.
Alternatively failed lamps can be taken to Eskom walk in centres once the exchange programme has ended in the specific area.

Question: Is there a risk of opportunists selling free-issue lamps to unsuspecting members of the public?
All lamps are labeled with an Eskom logo and clearly marked “not for sale”.

Question: What is the timing for rolling out the remaining 16.8 million lamps?
The roll out of the remaining 13.6 million lamps in South Africa will be completed by 30 November 2008.

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Question: How many more lamps are Eskom planning to roll out in coming years?
At the end of 2008 approximately 35 million CFLs would have been distributed throughout South Africa. Based on current calculations the market should then be close to saturation and at most a further 8 million lamps will be distributed during 2009/10.
Sustainability of the lamps in the market is however a concern as lamp life ranges from 2 -10 years. To sustain energy efficiency until there is again sufficient generation capacity, a CFL replacement strategy will have to be developed and implemented. This could see a further 20 - 40 million lamps distributed across South Africa in coming years.

NOTE: Should legislation be introduced to ban incandescent lamps as announced by the DME, the requirement for a replacement strategy will fall away.

Question: What is done with all the incandescent lamps that are collected during the roll outs? How is re-entry of these lamps into the market prevented?
Collected incandescent lamps are crushed and disposed by a specialist waste management company contracted specifically for this purpose.
Disposal records of all incandescent lamps collected, crushed and disposed are retained as proof.

The CFL rollout will be promoted via community papers and radio stations.

Question: How will the public know when Eskom will be visiting an area?
Field distributors will deliver ‘knock and drop’ leaflets at houses within the selected wards to warn residents that visits by the installers are imminent. Educational pamphlets on CFLs are also distributed a week or so prior to the distribution.

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Mercury and CFLs

1. Are CFLs harmful to the environment?
2. What precautions should I take when using CFLs?
3. What do I do if a CFL breaks?
4. How do I dispose of a spent CFL?
5. What are the retailer initiatives for CFL disposal in South Africa?
6. How does the mercury ‘footprint’ of a CFL compare with an incandescent lamp?

Question: Are CFLs harmful to the environment?
The cumulative impact of millions of CFLs does become a more significant issue and could present a potential risk to the environment.
Concerns regarding responsible disposal of CFLs are valid and lies in concentrations of mercury accumulating in our landfills over time. Expended CFL's should therefore be disposed of properly, in the same manner as other household hazardous waste products like paint, batteries and non-digital thermostats.
Yet because of their efficient use of energy CFLs have overall environmental life-cycle benefits, despite containing mercury.

Question: What precautions should I take when using CFLs?
CFLs can break when dropped or handled roughly. Be careful when removing a bulb from its packaging, installing it or replacing it. Always screw and unscrew the lamp by its base (not the glass), and never twist the CFL into a light socket with force.

Question: What do I do if a CFL breaks?
In the case of breakage, the amount of mercury inside an individual lamp is too small to pose a hazard to users. Although the accidental breakage of a lamp is unlikely to cause any health problems, it’s good practice to minimise any unnecessary exposure to mercury, as well as risk of cuts from glass fragments.
The following guidelines are therefore recommended in the case of accidental breakage of a CFL:

• Do not allow children or pregnant women to enter the affected area
• Open windows and allow air to circulate to the affected area
• Wear gloves, if available, as a precaution also against broken glass
• First sweep up all of the glass fragments and phosphor powder (do not vacuum)
• Place in a plastic bag
• Wipe the area with a damp paper towel to pick up stray shards of glass or fine particles
• Place the used towel in the plastic bag as well.

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Question: How do I dispose of a spent CFL?
Compact fluorescent bulbs emit no mercury unless they are broken and hence an intact CFL poses absolutely no health risk.
In the absence of legislative requirements specific to homeowners and with limited availability of suitable facilities, environmentally conscious consumers have few options. Eskom advises that homeowners take the precautions they would normally follow when disposing of household hazardous waste and make use of one of the following options (in order of preference) for CFL disposal that are available to South Africans at present:

• Deliver lamps to any of the retailers offering a take back service for CFLs
• Deliver used lamps to existing electronic waste (eWaste) disposal sites
• Store CFLs in a safe place, in a non breakable container or plastic bag to contain the bulb in the event of a breakage that might occur until infrastructure is in place for the safe disposal of CFLs in your area
• Some Municipalities provide an annual or periodic hazardous waste collection day or event. Typically, CFLs along with any other household hazardous waste such as batteries, oil-based paint or motor oil can be taken to these collection days. Check with your local authority whether these are available in your area.
• Dispose with your general waste as a last resort. Any of the options listed above are preferred but you can lawfully dispose of CFLs in your household waste. Should you revert to this option, it is recommended that you wrap the bulb in newspaper and place in a plastic bag to reduce the risk of bulb breakage, contamination of other potentially recyclable materials and to protect yourself and waste removal staff from cuts.

In addition to the initial amount of mercury being minimal, at the end of the CFL lifespan, little of the mercury remains in its most toxic form as most of it is converted and absorbed into the lamp components.

Question: What are the retailer initiatives for CFL disposal in South Africa?
An exciting development has been the spontaneous participation by retailers in offering and facilitating a CFL take back and disposal initiative during the second quarter of 2008.

Woolworths
Woolworths formally announced a planned CFL take back offering in March in collaboration with NOVA Lighting. They furthermore confirmed that suitably designed bins were rolled out to forty-six (46) Woolworths stores nationally. Consumers can make use of this service by taking failed CFLs to any of the participating Woolworths stores.

Pick ‘n Pay
Pick ‘n Pay has developed and rolled out a similar take back service in collaboration with Philips Lighting. Pick ‘n Pay has extended the service offering to include spent batteries and bins for both these hazardous household waste types can be found in all Pick ‘n Pay stores nationally. Watch out for these bins in your local store.

Question: How does the mercury ‘footprint’ of a CFL compare with an incandescent lamp?
Globally, coal-fired power plants represent the primary source of green house including mercury emissions into the atmosphere. Over its life time the potential CFL mercury impact (emissions and lamp content) can be up to 40% less than the mercury emissions associated with powering a comparable incandescent light bulb over the same period. The net result of mercury released into our environment in the case of CFL breakage is therefore still less than if an incandescent lamp was used.

With a large component of the CFL’s mercury contained within the lamp itself, proper disposal of spent lamps can further reduce releases of mercury into the environment. Hence the usage and responsible disposal of CFLs present an opportunity for further environmental benefits beyond those associated with the energy savings.

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Responsible Disposal Recovery Initiatives

1. What is Eskom doing regarding the disposal of CFLs?
2. What about the recycling of CFLs?
3. But is it safe to recycle mercury containing lamps?

Question: What is Eskom doing regarding the disposal of CFLs?
Eskom, in partnership with the City of Cape Town and Provincial Government, the lighting industry, waste industry and several other industry stakeholders, are currently investigating appropriate mechanisms for the diversion of failed CFLs as hazardous waste from the general household waste stream.
The initial focus is on the Western Cape where CFLs were first rolled out on a large scale in 2006, but recommendations will however be taken into account in the formulation of a national approach. It is anticipated that a national solution will be championed by the lighting industry in collaboration with other industry role-players.
The Western Cape initiative is supported by National Government through direct representation on the Western Cape Initiative Steering Committee as well as a recently established National Energy Response Team (NERT) work group focusing on disposal of CFLs. In compliance with anticipated National legislation. Similar approaches are adopted in other provinces.

Question: What about the recycling of CFLs?
In line with National Government’s waste minimisation strategy, the aim is to establish a recycling scheme for household lamps (and potentially other mercury containing lamps) rather than only safe disposal. Recycling can recover and reuse the mercury, glass, phosphor and aluminum.
Currently, no recycling and mercury recovery facility exists in South Africa. Industry players have however expressed interest in establishing a recycling facility for lighting waste that includes capacity for mercury recovery.
As part of the Western Cape initiative an investigating is being done regarding recycling alternatives, the likely costs and optimum location(s) as well as markets for recovered material. The outcome of this study will also serve as input to inform a national solution.

Question: But is it safe to recycle mercury containing lamps?
Opinions in this regard differ greatly. There is a broad variety of technologies available that claims to offer safe recycling capability. The appointed waste specialist team is currently investigating these claims in consultation with National Government and we expect to have a conclusion by end of October.

Opinions in this regard differ greatly. There is a broad variety of technologies available that claims to offer safe recycling capability. The appointed waste specialist team is currently investigating these claims in consultation with National Government and we expect to have a conclusion by end of October.

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Product Questions

1. Can I use CFLs with a timer?
2. Can I use a CFL in an enclosed light fixture?
3. Can I use a CFL with a dimmer switch?
4. What is RoHs compliance?
5. What is ELI compliance?
6. How do I select a good quality CFL?
7. Do CFLs flicker?

Question: Can I use CFLs with a timer?
Not unless it is stated as such on the package. There are special models available that can accommodate timers.

Question: Can I use a CFL in an enclosed light fixture?

Yes, but excessive heat will negatively impact the life expectancy of a CFL.

Question: Can I use a CFL with a dimmer switch?
Not unless it is stated as such on the package. There are special models available that can accommodate dimmers.

Question: What is RoHs compliance?
Not all CFLs are ROHS compliant. Also called Lead free directive, ROHS is a directive that was issued by European Union (EU) and came into effect on July 1, 2006. It means ‘Restriction of Hazardous Substances’. It restricts use of following six substances in the electric appliances and equipment:

Lead
Mercury
Hexavalent Chromium
Cadmium
PBB (Poly Brominated Biphenyls)
PBDE (Poly Brominated Di-phenyl Ether)

These substances are considered as hazardous substances (last 2 substances are flame retardants and are used in plastics). More and more industries are making their products ROHS compliant in an effort to produce environment-friendly products.

Question: What is ELI compliance?

The Efficient Lighting Initiative (ELI) promotes modern and high-quality efficient lighting technologies such as the compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) worldwide.
ELI is a voluntary quality certification and branding programme (it is not a label per se). Manufacturers are invited to certify their products. Products that meet ELI's lighting and energy performance specifications can display the “green leaf” label.

Question: How do I select a good quality CFL?

When buying a CFL, look for a ROHS compliant one and/or one with ELI (green leaf) labeling.

Question: Do CFLs flicker?
The better quality compact fluorescents cycle at 23,000Hz, and produce no noticeable flicker.Lesser quality CFL's may flicker or delay a bit at startup.

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Stores Participating in Recycling