Hazardous metal waste can affect brain and nervous system if not disposed of properly
The city is likely to be chosen for a project on disposal of "fused" compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) bulbs that contain mercury - a hazardous metal that can affect the brain and nervous system if not disposed of properly.
A report submitted jointly by TERI and the Electric Lamp and Components Manufacturers' Association of India (ELCOMA), which represents the CFL manufacturers, proposes that Delhi and Bangalore should be the two sites for the pilot project.
Disposal of CFLs has been a controversial issue because prolonged exposure to the toxic metal, mercury, can lead to serious health problems. Safe disposal has proved tricky because of problems at all three stages - extraction of mercury from the bulbs, transportation of the metal and recycling.
The report submitted to the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests in December last year, recommends a six-month project.
Spent CFL bulbs will be collected from households and put in carbon-coated drums. These will be then crushed under a mercury-absorbing filter to restrict vapours from getting into the air. This will make transportation easier.
These drums will be taken to a recycling site where the mercury will be extracted from the crushed glass and converted into sulphide.
H S Mamak, adviser for ELCOMA, said: "We have submitted our proposal. We are awaiting a formal go-ahead."
A Delhi government official confirmed that the ministry could soon sanction the project.
The country doesn't have a law on CFL disposal, though the Environment Ministry and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) have been brainstorming to frame a draft legislation since 2007.
In 2008, a task force comprising representatives from the ministry, the Bureau of Energy Efficiency and the pollution board submitted its report recommending imposition of tax on CFL bulbs to fund the recycling process.
The recommendations have been hanging fire after the industry said any tax would increase the cost of CFL bulbs, which are hitherto enjoying many waivers.
Industry figures say the sale of CFLs have jumped nearly five times over the past five years to an estimated 400 million per year.
The government and energy experts are looking at light emitting diodes (LED) as safe alternative in the lighting sector.
"We still do not have the technology to replace the entire lighting system with LEDs. A mechanism for safe disposal of CFLs is still necessary," Mamak said.
LED to lead the way
Keeping pace with changing technological innovations, especially when it comes to lighting up public places and streets, the Central government has joined hands with industry experts to bring out a set of guidelines on LED streetlighting — just as it promoted CFL bulbs some time ago.
Power Secretary P Uma Shankar said at the recent Light India in Pragati Maidan that the guidelines adhering to quality norms laid down by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) and the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) would be the first in the world for sustainable LED lighting.
"When we started popularising CFL with industry support, we were selling about 20 million bulbs a year at Rs 200 per piece on an average. Within two years the number rose to 350 million bulbs a year. The price has dropped to Rs 100," he said.
H S Manak, adviser to the ELCOMA, said the guidelines were almost ready, but a bit of tinkering would be required in view of the power requirements of LED technology for highways.
"We have worked with the government to prepare similar guidelines for indoor LED lighting. The power requirement is so high that we can only light up supplementary roads and not arterial roads," he said.
