The lighting and illumination industry will once again present all of its products and services in Hall 3 at Feria de Madrid, revealing a strong commitment with regard to the efficiency and recycling of its lighting products. The trade event will take place between 28th October and 1st November 2008.

 

The Ecolum Foundation, created by the National Association of Lighting Apparatus Manufacturers, Anfalum, recently presented a study that analyses the current situation regarding the recycling of waste from lighting systems at homes, offices and industries, as well as from public lighting. This study was produced by the Spanish Recycling Federation, FER.

As reflected in the report, Spain recycles some 1,591 tons of waste each year from lighting systems mainly located in homes, offices, industrial areas and public roads. This study, which was produced in order to obtain a "situation map" regarding current compliance with Royal Decree 208/2005 Concerning Electrical and Electronic Apparatus and Waste Management, reveals that approximately half of all lighting systems collected originate from public roads, accounting for nearly 750 tons of street-lamps and exterior lighting apparatus that are removed from streets due to the fact that they no longer work or due to renewal of urban facilities.

 

Furthermore, the report states that the remaining 50% of lighting apparatus that is recycled originates from domestic and industrial waste. In this respect, chandeliers, halogen lamps, ceiling lamps and metallic flexes removed from homes and offices due to redecoration or refurbishment account for an additional 700,000 kilos of material for recycling.

 

According to the study, the recycling of "public street-lamps" enables us to recover metals that are extremely resistant and durable such as iron and steel, so that they can be used as raw materials in manufacturing processes for vehicles, building structures and turbines, among other uses. In this respect, FER estimates that practically all (87%) of the 18 million tons of steel produced in Spain comes from recycled materials.

 

For their part, "domestic lamps" produce materials for recycling that feature lower levels of durability, but higher quality, such as aluminium, which is employed as a raw material in the manufacture of products for daily use such as locks, pots and pans and golf clubs. According to FER, 82% of Spanish aluminium output comes from recycled materials. 

 

With regard to the composition of the waste that is produced, the Federation's study shows that three-quarters of lighting systems destined for recycling are combined with other materials such as plastic and glass. Only 21% are of "pure origin", enabling them to be classified directly as metal.

 

In relation to collection points, the study reveals that 73% of lighting apparatus (1,100 tons) reaches recycling companies through waste managers, known popularly as scrap-merchants. Furthermore, according to the study, 10% of end-of-life lamps (around 160 tons) come from waste collection points designed for the use of households, traders and installers. Containers located at electrical material distribution centres designed for both small and medium-sized waste producers account for 9%, whilst large producers barely account for the remaining 4%.

 

With regard to the geographical origin of this waste, the study presented by Ecolum, the Foundation that will be present within the Lighting and Illumination section at Matelec‘08 shows that six out of every ten tons (59%) of lighting systems are collected directly by the different Spanish regions through a logistical coordination department (OFIRAEE) set up for this purpose. Around 37% is collected by municipalities themselves, whilst 4% originates from other channels, such as imports.

 

Another striking detail is that a half of all lamps recycled in Spain come from just three Spanish regions. Thus, Andalusia is the region that recycles the largest volume of lamps in Spain, based on a figure of 335 tons (21.1%), followed by the Basque Country with 332 tons (20%) and Madrid with 208 tons (13.1%). The Regions of Castile-Leon and the Balearic Islands also occupy leading positions in the table, accounting for 7.1% and 6.2% of recycled material, respectively. However, Cantabria and Murcia are the regions that collect and recycle the lowest volumes of lighting material, accounting for just 0.2% and 0.6% of the total figure, respectively, behind the Canary Islands (1.6%) and the Regions of Castile-La Mancha and Navarre, both of which reflect a figure of 2.2%.