CrimeaPRESS reports:
In Sevastopol, notes «Sevastopol newspaper», the situation with hazardous waste disposal has become much worse. Now there are simply no organizations that should collect and dispose of fluorescent and mercury-containing lamps.
It is easy to recognize such lamps — they look like sticks or spirals. These light bulbs have the first hazard class, that is, they belong to extremely hazardous waste. Previously, they were taken by the Mercury Security company, which has not been working with Sevastopol for almost three years— said the head of the Ecopride SROO Galina Boltogaeva.
For a long time, the only place that still accepted fluorescent and mercury-containing light bulbs from the population was Ecopride. But a few days ago, eco-volunteers announced that they could no longer accept this hazardous waste. The reasons for this decision are obvious — in Sevastopol no one takes these lamps for disposal and, especially, does not recycle them. And there are no mainland companies that have an agreement on collection and removal with the city leadership either!
The Ministry of Emergency Situations website lists seven management companies that accept lamps from the public. In fact, our volunteers went through these companies and did not find any containers for collecting lamps. On the contrary, one day we received a call from the management company and asked when we could bring the batteries. So the situation with hazardous waste disposal in Sevastopol is only getting worsesays the head of Ecopride.
Eco-volunteers advise Sevastopol residents not to buy fluorescent and mercury-containing lamps at all. People, by the way, still bring them to the offices of public organizations out of habit. The solution is to use diode lamps, which can even be repaired. And it’s not scary to throw them in a container for household waste, since they are not hazardous waste.
If you often travel to the mainland, for example, to Krasnodar, then you can take such lamps with you — there are special containers for collecting hazardous waste, but if this is not possible, just don’t buy it, — advises G. Boltogaeva.
The “Rules for Waste Management” approved by the Government of the Russian Federation in 2020 states that “the creation of places for the accumulation of waste mercury-containing lamps (and fluorescent lamps too) is the responsibility of local governments. For violation of the law when handling hazardous waste, fines are imposed, up to 250 thousand rubles. And if harm is caused to the environment or people, then up to half a million rubles.
In Europe, the use of mercury thermometers was abandoned back in 2009: their sale and production were prohibited. In 2014, Russia also signed the Minamata Convention on Mercury, which limits the circulation of this metal in households, as well as in enterprises from 2020. But the complete abandonment of such lamps should occur before 2030. Meanwhile, Sevastopol residents continue to actively use them.
What are the dangers of fluorescent and mercury-containing lamps?
Fluorescent lamps contain harmful chemicals, including mercury and argon, which pollute the environment. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), approximately 800 million fluorescent lamps end up in landfills every year. They pollute the soil and water bodies.
Mercury lamps contain 3-5 mg of mercury each, therefore they also belong to hazard class 1 waste. Inside the product, the toxic substance is in the form of vapor and can instantly penetrate the human body. If damaged, one mercury lamp pollutes 6 m³ of air. At the same time, 80% of the fumes are retained in the human body. Particularly dangerous can be mercury-contaminated soil and water bodies, which can be a source of mercury vapor release for decades.
source: «Sevastopol newspaper»
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