In May of 2009, the state legislature in Maine took a big step in ensuring that consumers in the state had a quick, easy and free way of recycling mercury-containing compact fluorescent lamps.
Shortly after Maine’s Governor John Baldacci signed the bill, other states such as Vermont and Massachusetts followed with similar programs.
While the state governments encouraged the adoption of the energy saving CFL technologies, the harmful mercury inside the lamps presented potentially damaging health impacts and environmental risks. They wanted to remove these hazards from the waste stream.
Maine’s landmark law created a producer-financed collection and recycling system that put the financial responsibility on the manufacturers of the CFL products. It also set limits on the mercury content that could be present in lighting products across the board.
Though modified through the years, Maine’s lamp recycling program since 2009 has continued to this day, even as we see the market for mercury-containing lamp products dramatically decline.
Featured image courtesy of Seam Services.
