Contact:
Scott Cassel
617-236-4822
scott@productstewardship.us
Product Stewardship Institute
THE
PRODUCT STEWARDSHIP INSTITUTE
APPLAUDS THE HOME DEPOT’S
NATIONAL CFL RECYCLING
INITIATIVE
National Retail
Take-Back Provides Convenient
Recycling Opportunity
BOSTON,
June 25, 2008 – The
Product Stewardship Institute
(PSI) praised The Home
Depot®, the world’s
largest home improvement
retailer, for this week’s
launch of a national
in-store, consumer compact
fluorescent lamp (CFL)
recycling program. The
program includes all
1,973 The Home Depot
locations and is the
first such program initiated
and publicly promoted
nationwide by a U.S.-based
retailer.
“Retailers play a key role in providing consumers
with a convenient way to safely recycle CFLs and
other products whose improper disposal can harm the
environment,” said Scott Cassel, PSI’s
Executive Director. “We are pleased that
The Home Depot has taken this important step to join
the national effort to improve the environment by
recycling CFL bulbs in-store.”
Switching from traditional
light bulbs to CFLs is
an easy change consumers
can make to reduce energy
use at home. According
to the EPA, if every American
switched one incandescent
bulb to a CFL, it would
save over $600 million
in annual energy costs
and prevent greenhouse
gases equivalent to the
emissions from 800,000
cars. However, fluorescent
lamps do contain mercury,
a naturally occurring toxin
that can affect the nervous
system. Although no mercury
is released when these
products are in use or
intact, when disposed of
in the trash, crushed,
incinerated, or otherwise
broken, they can cause
mercury to be released
into the environment. Creating
safe and easy ways to recycle
these products is necessary
in order for consumers
to feel comfortable about
adopting the new energy-efficient
bulbs.
With more than 75 percent
of households located
within 10 miles of a
Home Depot store, collection
at retailers is one of
the safest and most convenient
ways to ensure proper
disposal. At each The
Home Depot store, customers
can simply bring in expired,
unbroken CFL bulbs and
give them to the store
associate behind the
returns desk. The bulbs
will then be recycled
responsibly by an environmental
management company. The
Home Depot Canada launched
a similar CFL recycling
program in November,
2007. Other local
retailers have also been
collecting fluorescent
lamps for recycling.
“Ace
Hardware has worked with
PSI to create a take-back recycling program for fluorescent
lamps and mercury thermostats at more than 25 stores
in Montana, Utah, and South Dakota, in addition to
their other take-back efforts in Vermont , Illinois,
and Colorado,” said
Sierra Fletcher, PSI Project
Manager. “The
response to the program
has been extremely positive,
and we look forward to
initiating additional take-back
and environmentally-conscious
programs in other Ace stores.”
PSI is also convening a
national dialogue that
seeks to develop a comprehensive
solution for fluorescent
lamp product responsibility.
The goal is to negotiate
acceptable and accountable
roles for key stakeholders
involved in the product
lifecycle, including retailers,
manufacturers, and government
officials. For more information
on fluorescent lamp recycling
or other product stewardship
initiatives, please visit www.productstewardship.us/FluorescentLighting.
About PSI:
The Product Stewardship
Institute (PSI), a national
non-profit organization,
is a driving force in
defining and developing
product stewardship initiatives.
As the first organization
to define accepted principals
of product stewardship,
PSI works with government,
manufacturers, retailers,
environmental groups,
and others to develop
programs that reduce
the health and environmental
impact of consumer products. PSI
laid the foundation and
framework for cooperative
agreements and initiatives
that seek to ensure that
all those involved in
the lifecycle of a product
share responsibility
for protecting the environment
and reducing health risks. PSI
website: www.productstewardship.us.
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